title: Association between increased expression of endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase in the human fallopian tube and tubal ectopic pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tubal ectopic pregnancy (tEP) is the most common type of extra-uterine pregnancy and the most common cause of maternal mortality. Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecule that incorporates in many physiological processes of female reproductive system. Recent studies have demonstrated the possible role of endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme in the regulation of many reproductive events that occur in the fallopian tube (FT).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of eNOS in the FTs of women with tEP.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case-control study, a total number of 30FTs samples were obtained from three groups including: 10 FTs of women that bearing an EP, 10 FTs from the non-pregnant women at luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and 10 FTs of healthy pregnant women (n=10). Samples were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and then were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Localization of eNOS was seen in secretory and ciliated luminal epithelium and vascular endothelium of all groups. However, we did not observed the expression of eNOS in smooth muscle cells of all groups. Expression of eNOS in luminal epithelium of women with EP compared to non-pregnant women at luteal phase of menstrual cycle and healthy pregnant group showed statistically significant increase (p=0.00). Significant difference in expression of eNOS was not observed in luminal epithelium of FTs of women at luteal phase compared to healthy pregnant groups (p=0.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that changes in expression of eNOS in luminal epithelium of FT may lead to development of EP. This article extracted from M.Sc. thesis. (Leyla Fath Bayati).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fath Bayati
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ; Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Marefat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghaffari Novin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fadaei Fathabadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piryaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hasan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bandehpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Norouzian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kamkar Arab-Niya Hospital, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alizadeh Parhizgar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kamkar Arab-Niya Hospital, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakooriyan Fard
keywords: Ectopic pregnancy; Fallopian tube; Immunohistochemistry; Nitric oxide