Aromatase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in endometrial polyps during the menstrual cycle.
OBJECTIVE
To study the changes in aromatase, Ki-67 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression during the menstrual cycle in both endometrial polyps and normal endometria.


METHODS
Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 118 premenopausal patients were submitted to immunohistochemistry for measurement of aromatase, COX-2 and Ki-67 expression. Fifty cases of endometrial polyps and 68 cases of disease-free endometrium were included.


RESULTS
The presence of aromatase expression was significantly higher in endometrial polyps than in disease-free endometria. On the other hand, changes in COX-2 and Ki-67 expression followed a similar pattern during the menstrual cycle in both groups, expression peaking during the proliferative phase and falling during the late luteal phase.


CONCLUSIONS
A significantly higher proportion of endometrial polyps express aromatase compared with disease-free endometrium; however, no correlation was found between aromatase expression and changes in either Ki-67 or COX-2 expression during the menstrual cycle.
Maia
Hugo
H
Centro de Pesquisa e Assistência em Reprodução Humana , Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. ceparh@uol.com.br
Pimentel
Kleber
K
Silva
Tânia M Correia
TM
Freitas
Luíz A R
LA
Zausner
Bela
B
Athayde
Célia
C
Coutinho
Elsimar M
EM
D000328:Adult; D001141:Aromatase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D001141:Aromatase; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2