title: The Overexpression of TGF-β and CCN2 in Intrauterine Adhesions Involves the NF-κB Signaling Pathway.
abstract: Intrauterine adhesions (IUA) are a significant cause of menstrual disturbance and infertility, but their pathogenesis still remains unclear. Here, we investigated the expression of TGF-β and CCN2 in IUA endometrial tissue by immunohistochemistry, western blotting and qRT-PCR assays, and found the expression of TGF-β and CCN2 in the endometrial tissue of IUA was significantly increased compared to normal endometrium and uterine septum (P<0.01), suggesting that TGF-β and CCN2 may play an important role in the formation of IUA. Moreover, the activity of the NF-κB signaling pathway in endometrial tissue of IUA was also significantly enhanced compared to normal endometrial and uterine septum (P<0.01) and positively correlated with the expression of TGF-β and CCN2, which suggested that TGF-β and CCN2 expression may be involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Blocking the NF-κB signaling pathway using SN50 resulted in the reduced expression of TGF-β in RL95-2 cells, which confirmed the association of the NF-κB signaling pathway and TGF-β in endometrial cells. Additionally, the expression of TGF-β and CCN2 was associated with IUA recurrence, which provides a potential prognostic indictor for IUA. Together, these results demonstrated that TGF-β and CCN2 play an important role in IUA formation, whose mechanism was associated with the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jin-Yan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical School, Xi'an, the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Peng-Sheng
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C526317:CCN2 protein, human; D016328:NF-kappa B; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D055513:Connective Tissue Growth Factor