The influence of the expression of steroid receptors on angiogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis in myomas of pre- and postmenopausal women

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the estrogen and progesterone receptor status on angiogenesis, proliferation, and apoptosis of myoma cells in premenopausal (PreM) and postmenopausal (PostM) women. Methods. This was a cross section; clinical-experimental, retrospective, non-interventional study in the field of the study of fundamental pathogenesis mechanisms of disease using pathohistological materials from the existing archive. The research included 76 patients diagnosed with uterine leiomyomas, operatively treated in the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Centre Kragujevac, Serbia. According to the menstrual status, we formed two experimental subgroups. The first group was PreM women (n = 35; 46.2 ? 5.02 years old), and the second group was PostM women (n = 41; 60.25 ? 5.41 years old). Hematoxylin-eosin staining for myoma and myometrium was conducted, as well as immunohistochemistry for ER?, ER?, PR?, vascular endothelial growth factor, endoglin, Ki67, and caspase-3. Results. Progesterone receptor was overexpressed in myoma and myometrium of PreM compared to myoma and myometrium of PostM women. Expression of caspase-3 was a statistically significant increase in PostM women compared to PreM group. ER? and ER? were not changed among groups neither in myoma nor in myometrium samples. Conclusion. According to our data, PR? had higher influence on apoptosis and cell growth than estrogen receptors. Since PR? was increased in PreM in both myoma and myometrium, probably this expression led further to lower expression of apoptotic marker in PreM women.