Clinical significance of imbalanced expression of MMP-3/TIMP-3 in endometriosis

Objective: To investigate the role of matrix metalloproteinase-3(MMP-3)and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3(TIMP-3)in the pathogenesis of endometriosis(EMs).Methods: Immunohistochemical method(SABC) was employed to detect the expression of MMP-3 and TIMP-3 in ectopic endometrial tissues from women with endometriosis(30 cases) and the normal controls(30 cases). Results: MMP-3 protein expression level in ectopic endometrial gland and stroma were significantly higher than that in normal endometrium(the value of P less than 0.01),while the protein expression level of TIMP-3 was significantly lower than that in normal endometrium;the expression of MMP-3 was up-regulated with the increasing clinical stage of endometriosis,but the expression of TIMP-3 was down-regulated with the increasing clinical stage. Conclusion: The imbalanced expression of MMP-3 / TIMP-3 might play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of endometriosis.