[Protein gene product 9.5-immunoactive nerve fibers and its clinical significance in endometriotic peritoneal lesions].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between distribution of protein gene product (PGP) 9.5-immunoactive nerve fibers in peritoneal endometriotic lesions and disease-associated pain symptoms.


METHODS
Thirty two peritoneal endometriotic lesions from patients with endometriosis (16 cases with pain and 16 cases without pain) and matched with 20 peritoneal tissues from patients with uterine leiomyoma without endometriosis were stained immunohistochemically for PGP9.5-immunoactive nerve fibers.


RESULTS
The positive rate and density of PGP9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers in peritoneal endometriotic leision were 62% (10/16) and (3.8+/-1.7)/mm2 in endometriosis patients with pain, which were significantly higher than 19% (3/16) and (1.7+/-0.5)/mm2 in endometriosis patients without pain (P<0.05) and 25% (5/20) and (1.3+/-0.6)/mm2 in peritoneal tissues in women without endometriosis (P<0.05). However, no differences were found between endometriosis patients without pain and women without endometriosis (P>0.05). Moreover, the density of PGP9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers in peritoneal lesions in endometriosis patients with pain was positively correlated with the severity of pain (r=0.855, P<0.05). In addition, the density of PGP9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers in peritoneal lesions was statistically higher in endometriosis patients with chronic pelvic pain and (or) dysmenorrhea than those in endometriosis patients with other type of pain (P<0.05), which was not associated with active lesion, site and staging (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
It suggested that PGP9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers might confer the mechanism of pelvic pain with endometriosis.
Yao
Hui-jiao
HJ
Department of Gynecology, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China.
Huang
Xiu-feng
XF
Lu
Bang-chun
BC
Zhou
Cai-yun
CY
Zhang
Jing
J
Zhang
Xin-mei
XM
D000328:Adult; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000201:enzymology / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase / Q000378:metabolism*
C482860:UCHL1 protein, human; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase