Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
Establishment of an Experimental Mouse Model of Endometrioma to Study its Related Infertility
Published on: April 5, 2024
Involvement of estrogen receptor-related receptors in human ovarian endometriosis
Aldo Cavallini1, Leonardo Resta, Anna Maria Caringella
1Laboratory of Biochemistry, National Institute for Digestive Diseases, I.R.C.C.S. Saverio de Bellis, Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy. cavaldo@libero.it
Objective:
To determine whether decreased estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) expression in endometriotic lesions could be balanced by an increased expression of estrogen receptor-related receptors (ERRs). To evaluate whether ERR-α expression is influenced by hormonal change in fertile and menopausal women.
Design:
Prospective controlled study.
Setting:
University Hospital, Department of Gynecology.
Patient(S):
Twenty-five women: 20 women of reproductive age with (n = 10) and without (control; n = 10) endometriosis and 5 menopausal women.
Intervention(S):
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Immunohistochemistry.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
The ER and ERR expression levels were studied by reverse transcriptase-qPCR, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry using endometriotic and normal endometrial tissues. The ERR-α protein distribution was performed by immunohistochemistry in fertile and menopausal women.
Result(S):
Increased levels of ER-β were associated with ER-α, ERR-α, and ERR-γ reductions in ectopic tissue but not in eutopic and normal endometria. Similar levels of ERR-β were found in women with and without endometriosis. The ERR-α expression was similar in proliferative and secretory endometrial samples, whereas a down-regulation of this receptor was found in atrophic tissue.
Conclusion(S):
Our data confirm the up-regulation of ER-β as the principal receptor involved in the progression of human endometriosis. In addition, we found that ERR-α seems to be unresponsive to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.
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