Effect of Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs on the apoptosis and release of IL-1beta and VEGF in endometrial cell cultures from patients with endometriosis.

MERESMAN GABRIELA; BILOTAS M; LOMBARDI E; TESONE M; SUELDO C; BARAÑAO RI

HUMAN REPRODUCTION

OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Año: 2003 vol. 18 p. 1767 - 1771

0268-1161

OBJECTIVE: There is growing evidence that suggests a direct action of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) on endometrial growth. Consequently, our purpose was to evaluate the effect of GnRH-a on in vitro eutopic endometrial cell growth and apoptosis. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Research institute and clinical fertility center. PATIENT(S): Sixteen women with untreated endometriosis and 14 controls. INTERVENTION(S): Biopsy specimens of eutopic endometrium were obtained from all subjects. Apoptosis and cell proliferation were examined in epithelial endometrial cell cultures after incubation with leuprolide acetate (LA), antide, and a combination of both. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The percentage of apoptotic cells was evaluated by the acridine orange-ethidium bromide technique; cell proliferation was assessed by (3)H-thymidine incorporation. RESULT(S): Leuprolide acetate (LA) (100 ng/mL) enhanced apoptosis in endometrial cultures from patients with endometriosis and controls, and this effect was reversed by antide 10(-7)M. Cell proliferation was down-regulated by LA at 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL in cultures from women without and with endometriosis. The addition of antide 10(-7)M reversed this inhibition. CONCLUSION(S): GnRH-a appears to have a direct effect by enhancing the apoptotic index and decreasing the cell proliferation in endometrial cells.