ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Implantation is a complex process between developing embryo and maternal endometrium, especially decidua. Decidua is a specialized endometrium during pregnancy and decidua basalis is the real implantation site infiltrated directly by trophoblast cells. The decidua parietalis lines the uterine cavity away from the implantation site, not real implantation site. TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 have known as multipotential cytokines and expression of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 increased in decidua during pregnancy than secretory phase of endometrium. However, there is little known about their expression in decidua parietalis, compared with decidua basalis. The purpose of this study was to compare the expression of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 in the decidua basalis and decidua parietalis during early pregnancy. METHODS: The early pregnant 26 samples were obtained at hysterectomy, which underwent surgery for cervical carcinoma, ovarian cancer, etc. Immunohistochemical staining of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 was performed and staining intensity was semiquantified by using HSCORE. RESULTS: TGF-beta1 was slightly expressed in the decidua basalis and decidua parietalis and there were no differences among them. But the expressions of TGF-beta2 of stroma and glandular cells were higher in the decidua basalis than parietalis (p < 0.005). And the expressions of TGF-beta2 were stronger than that of TGF-beta1 in the both decidua of early pregnancy (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: In decidua basalis, especially stromal cells, the expression of TGF-beta2 was increased than in the decidua parietalis. This suggests that TGF-beta2 may play an important role in decidua basalis that is directly invasion site by embryo and can be regulated by embryonic derived local factor. TGF-beta2, compared with TGF-beta1, was increased in both implantation site and suggest it may regulate implantation process during early pregnancy.
Subject(s)
Female , Pregnancy , Cytokines , Decidua , Embryonic Structures , Endometrium , Hysterectomy , Ovarian Neoplasms , Stromal Cells , Transforming Growth Factor beta1 , Transforming Growth Factor beta2 , TrophoblastsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the differences of expression of TGF-betaS(TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2) in the human proliferative endometrium, secretory endometrium, and the decidua during early pregnancy. And we also have studied the endometrial expression of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 in the menopause and compared that to the expression in the endometrium and decidua. METHODS: We have studied the expression of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 by immunohistochemical staining method in the proliferative endometrium, secretory endometrium, decidua during early pregnancy, and menopausal endometrium. RESULTS: In the epithelial cells, TGF-beta1 was moderately expressed in the secretory phase and was weakly expressed in the proliferative phase and menopause. In the stromal cells, TGF-beta1 was not expressed in the whole menstrual phase and menopause. And in the epithelial cells, TGF-beta2 was moderately expressed in the proliferative phase, secretory phase, and menopause. In the stromal cells, TGF-beta2 was not expressed in the whole menstrual phase and menopause. Especially, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 were markedly expressed in the decidua during early pregnancy compared to the expression in the proliferative, secretory endometrium, and menopausal endometrium. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TGF-beta1 may have an important role in the epithelial cells during the secretory phase, not stromal cells. And TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 may have a paracrine and autocrine role in the decidua/trophoblast interaction during pregnancy , especially in the normal pregnancy.