Correlation of TGF-β1,Smad4 and Smad7 with endometriosis

Objective To study the correlation of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),mother against decapeutaplegic homolog(Smad)4 and Smad7 with the pathogenetic of endometriosis.Methods The ectopic endometrium and the eutopic endometrium obtained from 30 cases of inpatients with endometriosis in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between August 2007 and March 2008 and the endometrial tissues obtained from 30 patients with uterine malformation at the same time were enrolled. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of TGF-β1、Smad4 and Smad7.Results The expression of TGF-β1 in the ectopic endometrium (181.71±4.90) and the eutopic endometrium(179.05±1.26) was significant higher than that in the normal endometrium(92.45±3.26). The expression of Smad4 and Smad7 in the ectopic endometrium(95.58±9.05 vs.98.83±10.48)and the eutopic endometrium(95.09±2.16 vs.93.51±4.49)was significant lower than that in the normal endometrium(185.37±6.39 vs.184.56±2.31). There was no significant difference of these three indexes between the ectopic endometrium and the eutopic endometrium. TGF-β1 and Smad4 in the ectopic endometrium was negative correlation;TGF-β1 and Smad7 in the ectopic endometrium was negative correlation. There were no significant difference of the expression of TGF-β1,Smad4 and Smad7 between the proliferative phase and the secretory phase in ectopic groups.Conclusions TGF-β1,Smad4 and Smad7 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.