Expression Of VEGF And EG-VEGF In Endometriosis

Objective: To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (EG-VEGF) in patients with endometriosis and their relationship with pathogenesis of endometriosis(EMs).Methods: From March 2003 to September 2004, thirty subjects with surgically confirmed endometriosis (EMs group), and meanwhile sixteen controls with benign diseases such as uterus myoma were chosen for study in the West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University. VEGF levels in peritoneal fluid and serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of VEGF protein, VEGF mRNA and EG-VEGF mRNA in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of EMs and in the normal endometrium of the control group was detected by immunohistochemical method (SP) and quantitative RT-PCR, and analyzed their associativity.Result: (1) The VEGF level in peritoneal fluid in the endometriosis(242.8± 51.04ng/L) was markedly higher than that in the control group(63.22±30.62ng/L) (PO.05), but was not associated with its r-AFS staging. There was no significant difference in VEGF serum levels between EMs group and control group (p>0.05).(2) VEGF protein was localized in intracytoplasm of glandular epithelial cells, stromal cells, and endothelial cells in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis and in the normal endometrium of control group. The expression level of VEGF was stronger in the glandular epithelial cells than in the stromal cells. The expression levels of VEGF protein were 0.33 ±0.06 and 0.32 + 0.06 in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis, and both were markedly higher than that (0.24 + 0.04)of the control group (PO.05). There was no significant difference in the expression level of VEGF protein between ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis, and the VEGF protein was not associated with its r-AFS staging.(3) The expression level of VEGF mRNA in ectopic endometrium of endometriosis (0.68 + 0.48) was markedly higher than that in control group (0.16 + 0.55) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression level of EG-VEGF mRNA between the ectopic endometrium of endometriosis (0.05 + 0.56) and the normal endometrium of control group(0.025 + 0.25) (P>0.05).(4) A correlation was found between VEGF mRNA expression and EG-VEGF mRNA expression in ectopic endometriosis of endometriosis (p>0.05), and same as in the normal endometrium of control group.(5) The microvessel density (MVD) was markedly higher in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of endometriosis than that in the control group. And obvious denseness of the microvessel can be found in the ectopic endometrium. There was positive correlation between MVD and VEGF expression (r=0.815).Conclusion". The higher VEGF expression in the endometriosis indicates thatVEGF, by promoting the angiogenesis, plays a pivotal role in the occurrenceand development of endometriosis. Despite its expression in theendometriosis, the mechanism of EG-VEGF in the EMs remains to be furtherconfirmed.