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Updated: Sep 30, 2026
Molecular Analysis of Endothelial-mesenchymal Transition Induced by Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling
Published on: August 3, 2018
Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and thrombospondin-1 mRNA in patients with endometriosis
Xian-Jie Tan1, Jing-He Lang, Dong-Yuan Liu
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China. tanxj@csc.pumch.ac.cn
Objective:
To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) mRNA in endometriosis.
Design:
Molecular studies in human tissue.
Setting:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
Patient(S):
Patients undergoing laparoscopy for infertility or other benign gynecologic conditions.
Intervention(S):
Biopsies were taken from endometriotic lesions (red peritoneal lesion, ovarian endometrioma, and unterosacral ligament nudule) and eutopic endometrium during laparoscopy.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
mRNA expression from endometriotic lesion and eutopic endometrium was analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Northern blotting.
Result(S):
Among the endometriotic lesions, red peritoneal lesions expressed higher levels of VEGF mRNA and lower levels of TSP-1 mRNA, whereas ovarian endometrioma expressed lower levels of VEGF mRNA and higher levels of TSP-1 mRNA. Eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis had higher expression levels of VEGF mRNA and lower expression levels of TSP-1 mRNA than that of women without endometriosis.
Conclusion(S):
The expression of VEGF and TSP-1 in endometriotic lesions appears to be associated with the extent of their neovascularization. The imbalance in expression of VEGF and TSP-1 in the endometrium may play a role in the development of endometriosis.
