Results
| PMID | 16880228 |
| Gene Name | MMP9 |
| Condition | Endometriosis |
| Association |
Associated |
| Sex | Female |
| Associated genes | MMP-9, TIMP-1 |
| Other associated phenotypes |
Endometriosis |
|
Hum Reprod. 2006 Dec;21(12):3059-67. Epub 2006 Jul 31. Collette, T| Maheux, R| Mailloux, J| Akoum, A Centre de Recherche, Hopital Saint-Francois d'Assise, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Canada. BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a disease where endometrial tissue implants in ectopic locations. Remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a prerequisite for the implantation of this tissue to be possible. METHODS: In this study, we detected immunoreactive matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) throughout endometrial tissue and identified von Willebrand factor (vWF)-positive endothelial cells, CD45-positive leukocytes, CD3-positive T lymphocytes and CD68-positive macrophages as cells expressing MMP-9 in the stroma. RESULTS: We found an increased expression of MMP-9 in the uterine endometrial tissue of women with endometriosis, as assessed by zymography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (P < 0.05). However, RT-PCR did not show a statistically significant increase in MMP-9 mRNA expression in these tissues (P = 0.14). There was no significant difference between women with and without endometriosis in the expression of tissue inhibitor of MMPs (TIMP)-1, a known natural inhibitor of the pro- and active forms of MMP-9, whether tested by ELISA or by RT-PCR (P = 0.46 and 0.37, respectively). Interestingly, the ratio of MMP-9/TIMP-1 expression was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in normal women both at the protein and the mRNA levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings make plausible the involvement of MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance in the invasiveness of the endometrial tissue of patients with endometriosis and the ectopic development of the disease. Mesh Terms: Adult| Case-Control Studies| Endometriosis/*metabolism| Endometrium/*metabolism| Female| Humans| Laparoscopy| Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/*metabolism| Menstrual Cycle| RNA, Messenger/*metabolism| Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1/*metabolis |
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