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Neurotrophin Expression Is Not Affected in Uteri of Women with Adenomyosis

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Abstract

To investigate the involvement of neurotrophins and nerve fibres in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis, we performed a retrospective, clinical study. Hysterectomy specimens from 40 patients with histologically proven adenomyosis and from 20 patients without adenomyosis or endometriosis were used for immunohistochemical analysis. In order to investigate neurotrophic properties in adenomyosis, the antibodies against nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), the high-affinity NGF receptor (TrkA), the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), the neuronal marker S100 (for myelinated nerve fibres) and protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5; for intact nerve fibres) were used. There was no significant difference in the NGF, NT-3 and p75NTR expression in the myometrium or endometrium between the adenomyosis and the control group. The nerve fibre density (S100, PGP9.5 and p75NTR) did not significantly differ between the adenomyosis and control group, the nerve fibre density of the adenomyosis group was tendentially decreased when compared with the nonporous control group. The present study suggests that endometrial and uterine neurotrophin expression and endometrial innervation are not altered in adenomyosis; however, women with adenomyosis or with adenomyosis/endometriosis tendentially had less myometrial nerve fibres than the control group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endometriosis Research Centre Charité, Department of Gynaecology, Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200, Berlin, Germany

    Maria Luisa Barcena de Arellano, Melanie Franziska Wagner, Jeannette Oldeweme, Julia Arnold, Achim Schneider & Sylvia Mechsner

  2. Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Julia Arnold

  3. German Endometriosis Center Berlin, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vivantes Humboldt-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Ebert

Authors
  1. Maria Luisa Barcena de Arellano
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  2. Melanie Franziska Wagner
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  3. Jeannette Oldeweme
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  4. Julia Arnold
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  5. Andreas Ebert
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  6. Achim Schneider
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  7. Sylvia Mechsner
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Correspondence to Sylvia Mechsner.

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Barcena de Arellano, M.L., Wagner, M.F., Oldeweme, J. et al. Neurotrophin Expression Is Not Affected in Uteri of Women with Adenomyosis. J Mol Neurosci 47, 495–504 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-012-9757-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-012-9757-x

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