GALECTIN-1 EXPRESSION IN HUMAN ENDOMETRIOTIC AND ENDOMETRIAL TISSUE

BASTON JI; RICCI A; BILOTAS M; OLIVARES C; GONZALEZ A; SINGLA JJ; RABINOVICH G; BARAÑAO RI; MERESMAN G

San Juan

Congreso; 2da Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biología de la República Argentina.; 2011

A continuous effort is being done to elucidate the pathogenesis of endometriosis (EDT). Galectin-1 (Gal-1) plays key roles in immune tolerance, tumor-immune escape and neovascularization. The potential role of Gal-1 in EDT has not yet been reported, so our goal was to evaluate Gal-1 protein expression and its histological location in human endometriotic and endometrial tissue. Biopsies from endometriotic lesions (n=12) and eutopic endometrium (n=6) from women with EDT, and proliferative (n=10) and secretory (n=9) control endometrium, were analyzed by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, immunocytochemistry was performed on primary cultures of endometrial stromal and epithelial cells. IHC assays revealed an abundant cytoplasmic expression of Gal-1 specifically confined to stromal cells from endometriotic lesions and eutopic endometrium from patients and controls. The same Gal-1 expression pattern was found in human primary endometrial cell cultures. However, we found no significant differences in the levels of Gal-1 protein among all groups. This is the first study reporting the stromal expression of Gal-1 in ectopic lesions and eutopic endometrium from women with EDT, supporting a potential role for Gal-1 promoting the establishment and development of EDT.