[Study on the relationship between estrogen receptor beta and etiology of human endometrial polyps].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationships between the expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) and etiology of human endometrial polyps (EP).


METHODS
Thirty-six females with infertility and 36 females with intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD, aged from 23 years to 33 years, average 28 years) were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken before hysteroscopy for analysis of the level of estradiol in serum. All the tissue samples of benign EP and endometrium in the same cycle were obtained through hysteroscopy on the 5th to 9th days of menstruation cycle (all the women selected had the same menstrual period). Part of the samples of EP were made into homogenates to assay the level of estradiol, and the rest of EP and endometrium were both fixed with 10% formalin. If one of the samples was confirmed by histopathologic analysis, the correspondence was eligible. Otherwise, they were abnegated. Seventy-two samples were collected and 60 were eligible as a result. The expression of ERbeta and ERalpha in these samples was detected by immunohistochemical staining, while the levels of estradiol in both serum and homogenate of EP were detected by radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
The expression of stromal ERbeta of EP in infertility and IUD groups (2.1 +/- 0.9, 1.9 +/- 0.5) was significantly higher than those of endometrium in the same cycle (1.7 +/- 0.3, 1.3 +/- 1.1) (P < 0.05), while the expression of stromal ERalpha of EP was significantly decreased than those of endometrium (P > 0.05). The expression of ERbeta in glands had no difference in both EP and endometrium. The expression of ERbeta was significantly positively related to the levels of estradiol in both serum and homogenate (P < 0.01), while the expression of ERalpha had no correlation with estradiol.


CONCLUSIONS
Overexpression of ERbeta in stroma might play an important role in the pathogenesis of EP.
Ye
Hong
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First College of Clinical Medical Science of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443003, China.
Xu
Xian-Rong
XR
Liu
You-Kun
YK
Liu
Zhi-Hua
ZH
Zhao
An-Zhen
AZ
D000328:Adult; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D011127:Polyps / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism
D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D004958:Estradiol