RESUMO
Purpose To study the relationship between autophagy and endometriosis,and its significance.Methods The eutopic and ectopic endometrial stromal cells from patients with endometriosis (n =31) and normal endometrial stromal cells (n =31) were cultured primarily and identified by immunocytochemistry.The ultrastructural changes of autophagic vacuoles were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).RT-PCR and Western blot methods were used to detect LC3 mRNA and protein expression in endometrial cells of endometriosis patients.Results TEM analysis showed the number of autophagic vacuoles of eutopic and ectopic endometrial cells was fewer.RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the expression of LC3 mRNA and protein in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis was significandy lower than that of the normal endometrial stromal cells (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the expression of LC3 mRNA between eutopic and ectopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis (P ＞ 0.05),but the expression of LC3 protein in ectopic endometrium was higher than that in eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Autophagy activity is downregulated in eutopic and ectopic endometrial stromal cells with endometrosis.Autophagy may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.