title: Apoptosis patterns in eutopic and ectopic endometrium, adhesions and normal-looking peritoneum from women with or without endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the apoptosis rate in eutopic and ectopic endometrial stromal and glandular cells, normal peritoneum and adhesions in women with endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total number of 97 women with (n:60) and without (n:37) histopathologically confirmed endometriosis who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycles for pain and infertility were included in this study. Stage I/II and stage III/IV were categorized as early staged and late-staged endometriosis. The endometrial samples were obtained with a Novack cannula from the corpus of the uterus. Normal-looking peritoneum, peritoneal implants and adhesions were sampled and fixed in formaldehyde for immunohistochemical staining with Bcl-2 and Bax. Tissue samples were fixed in formaldehyde for the assessment of apoptosis via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) and M30 cytoDEATH antibody.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intensity of Bax staining of normal-looking peritoneum in early staged endometriosis was higher, compared to women with late-staged and women without endometriosis (P = 0.03). However, degree of Bcl-2 staining did not differ among early and late-staged endometriosis and women without endometriosis (P = 0.1). In terms of Bcl-2 and Bax staining in the stromal and glandular parts of the eutopic endometria, no significant differences were detected among three groups. In cases with early- and late-staged endometriosis the intensity of Bax and Bcl-2 stainings did not differ in both stromal and glandular parts of ectopic endometria. Number of cells with positive apoptotic signals assessed via TUNEL (P = 1.0) and M30 cytoDEATH antibody (P = 0.59) in normal-looking peritoneum did not differ between three groups. In addition, no difference in term of numbers of apoptotic cells obtained from adhesions was observed between three groups (for TUNEL, P = 0.29, for M30, P = 0.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apoptosis patterns did not differ in the eutopic and ectopic endometria as well as adhesions of women with or without endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Meselik Kampusu, Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassa
authors.forename: H Mete
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tanir
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tekin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Artan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dundar
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kirilmaz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sahin Mutlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein