Neurotrophin Expression Is Not Affected in Uteri of Women with Adenomyosis

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 (p75^NTR), 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 p75^NTR expression in the myometrium or endometrium between the adenomyosis and the control group. The nerve fibre density (S100, PGP9.5 and p75^NTR) 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.