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Expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in adenomyosis
M Ishikawa1, T Nakata, Y Yaginuma
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
Objective:
To assess the expression of Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD in peritoneal fluid and ectopic endometrium from women with adenomyosis.
Study Design:
The levels of Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD were measured in peritoneal fluid from infertile women who did not have endometriosis (n = 27), women with adenomyosis (n = 22), and women with endometriosis (n = 15). The expression of Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD messenger ribonucleic acids in ectopic endometrium was investigated by Northern blot analysis. Mn-SOD in ectopic endometrium was investigated by immunohistochemical staining.
Results:
The levels of Cu,Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD were significantly higher in the peritoneal fluid from women with adenomyosis than in those with endometriosis or infertile women. Mn-SOD was highly expressed in ectopic endometrium, but Cu,Zn-SOD was not. Mn-SOD was detected in ectopic endometrium of women with adenomyosis.
Conclusions:
These data show that reactive oxygen produced in adenomyosis may induce Mn-SOD in ectopic endometrium, which results in the release of relatively large amounts of this protein into the peritoneal fluid. These results suggest that free radicals may play a role in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis, the same as they do in other inflammatory processes.