今野 良

Objective: To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) compared with n-6 linoleic acid (LA) in an endometriosis rat model. We focused on the relationship between lipid metabolism and inflammatory reactions in endometriosis based on the hypothesis that a lipid intake imbalance is one of the factors responsible for the recent increase of endometriosis. Design: Prospective, randomized experimental study. Setting: Animal surgery laboratory in a university hospital. Animal(s): Sprague-Dawley rats (female, 6 weeks old). Intervention(S): Rats were fed a diet with EPA (n = 9) or with LA (n = 9) for 2 weeks. Two weeks after feeding, the uterus was autotransplanted to the peritoneum to construct an endometriosis model. Feeding was continued for a total of 6 weeks. Two and 4 weeks after autotransplantation, three rats of each group were killed and evaluated. Main Outcome Measure(s): Endometriotic lesions were morphologically evaluated and their fatty acid composition was examined. Gene expression in these tissues was evaluated by cDNA microarray analysis and quantative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Result(s): in the EPA group, the n-3:n-6 ratio in each tissue significantly increased and the thickening of the interstitium, an active site for inflammation in endometriosis, was significantly suppressed (0.30 +/- 0.09 mm [EPA group] vs. 0.77 +/- 0.23 mm [LA group]). The mRNA of metalloproteinases, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-1r, prostaglandin E synthase (Ptges), and nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B were reduced in the EPA group. Conclusion(s): EPA supplementation might be a valid strategy for the treatment of endometriosis.

Objective: To investigate the localization of the proteins osteopontin (OPN) and L-selectin (SELL). Design: Retrospective nonrandomized immunohistochemical study in a surgically induced rat model of peritoneal endometriosis and in samples of human endometriotic lesions of ovaries. Setting: Department of gynecology in a university hospital. Patient(s): A rat endometriosis model was induced in 10 8-week-old SLC-Sprague-Dawley rats by surgical autotransplantation of uterus. Fourteen premenopausal women with histologically diagnosed endometriosis were selected (mean age, 39 y; range, 25-53 y). Twenty endometriotic specimens were obtained from 14 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for enlarged endometriotic cysts. Intervention(S): Histopathological examination of endometriotic ovarian specimens for OPN and SELL expression by immumohistochemistry. Main Outcome Measure(s): Demonstration of the immunoreactive staining of OPN and SELL expressions in tissues of a rat endometriosis model and of human endometriosis. Result(s): In both tissues from a rat endometriosis model and from human endometriosis, OPN was stained more prominently in glandular epithelium than in interstitial space, whereas SELL stained more prominently in interstitial space (macrophages and lymphocytes) than in epithelium. The staining pattern of OPN in ectopic endometriotic lesions was very similar to that in eutopic normal human endometrium in the secretory phase. Conclusion(S): These results suggested important roles for OPN and SELL in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. (Fertil Steril (R) 2007;88(Suppl 2):1207-11. (C)2007 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)