title: Immunoexpression of aromatase cytochrome P450 and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in women's ovaries after menopause.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Menopause results in a lack of regular menstrual cycles, leading to the reduction of estrogen production. On the other hand, ovarian androgen synthesis is still present at reduced levels and requires expression of several steroidogenic enzymes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed on 104 postmenopausal women hospitalized due to uterine leiomyomas, endometriosis, and/or a prolapsed uterus. Patients were divided into three groups depending on the time from menopause. Group A patients experienced menopause 1-5 years before enrollment in the study (42 women). Group B included women who had their last menstruation 5-10 years before the study (40 women). Group C consisted of 22 women who were more than 10 years past menopause. Hysterectomy or removal of the uterine corpus with adnexa was performed during laparotomy. We evaluated the expression of aromatase cytochrome P450 (CYP 19) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β HSD) by employing immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activity of 17β-HSD and CYP19 was demonstrated in the cytoplasm of stromal cells of postmenopausal ovaries, epithelium cells coating the ovaries, vascular endothelial cells, and epithelial inclusion cysts. However, overall expression of both 17β-HSD and CYP 19 decreased with time after menopause.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Demonstration of the activity of the key enzymes of ovarian steroidogenesis, CYP 19 and 17β-HSD, confirms steroidogenic activity in the ovaries of postmenopausal women. Nevertheless, ovarian steroidogenic activity decreases with time, and its significant decrease occurs 10 years after menopause.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Urogynaecology, Pomeranian Medical University, Siedlecka 2, 72 - 010 Police, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brodowska
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Primary Health Care, Pomeranian Medical University, Żołnierska 48, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brodowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, Żołnierska 48, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laszczyńska
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology Pomeranian Medical University, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Słuczanowska-Głąbowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology and Developmental Biology, Pomeranian Medical University, Żołnierska 48, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rumianowski
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Rehabilitation, Pomeranian Medical University, Grudziądzka 31, 70-103 Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rotter
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Urogynaecology, Pomeranian Medical University, Siedlecka 2, 72 - 010 Police, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Starczewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology Pomeranian Medical University, Powstańców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland ; Stem Cell Biology Program, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Mariusz Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Ratajczak
mesh_terms: D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001141:Aromatase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010053:Ovary / Q000201:enzymology*; D017698:Postmenopause
chemical_list: D015067:17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases; C044256:3 (or 17)-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; D001141:Aromatase; C561410:CYP19A1 protein, human
keywords: 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; Aromatase cytochrome P450; Immunexpression; Menopause; Steroidogenesis; Women’s ovaries