Apoptosis in uterine leiomyoma

Objective To approach the association of the uterine leiomyoma genesis with cell apoptosis as well as the significance detecting the cell apoptosis in uterine leiomyoma by anti single-strand DNA(ssDNA)antibody.Methods Immuno-histochemical S-P staining was used to test ssDNA and the protein expression of bax gene in both uterine leiomyoma and normal myometria adjacent to leiomyoma of 40 cases with uterine leiomyoma by anti-ssDNA antibody and anti Bax monoantibody.Results The positive rates and intensity of immunostaining both ssDNA and Bax were much more higher in the normal myometria than those in the uterine leiomyoma(P0.01),and there was the positive correlation between the quantity of Bax protein expression and the amount of the ssDNA(r=0.720,P=0.000).Conclusion Down-regulation of Bax expression may play an important role in genesis of the uterine leiomyoma,apoptosis cells in uterine smooth muscle could be detected exactly by anti-ssDNA antibody.