Hoorn, F. van (2013) Immunological changes in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis. thesis, Medicine.
![[img]](https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
HoornF.van.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (359kB) |
Abstract
Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder in which functional endometrial tissue implants outside the uterus. The pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unclear. Most widely accepted is the retrograde menstruation hypothesis. However, the number of women with retrograde menstruation exceeds the number of women with endometriosis, so clearly other factors are involved. It is hypothesised that due to alterations in the immune system of women with endometriosis, the endometrial tissue that is shed into the peritoneal cavity escapes surveillance and removal by immune cells, and then is able to implant and proliferate outside the uterus. To investigate whether there are immunological changes in the eutopic human endometrium of 21 women with endometriosis compared to 20 control women, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to investigate expression of genes indicating the presence and phenotypes of various immune cells as well as their regulatory cytokines in both the proliferative and the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. We quantified expression of genes associated with subtypes of antigen presenting cells, T cells and NK cells, as well as inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, colony stimulating factors, inflammatory chemokines, pain-associated genes and stress-associated genes. Our data shows an increased expression of genes that contribute to an environment of increased immune tolerance during the secretory phase in women with endometriosis compared to control women. Our data does not indicate any change in tolerance status in proliferative phase. These findings might contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis since an environment of increased immune tolerance in women with endometriosis compared to women without endometriosis during the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle could allow the shed endometrial tissue to implant and proliferate outside the uterus.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Thesis) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Faculty supervisor: and Faas, dr. M.M. and GIPS-M supervisor and Kallenberg, Prof dr. C.G.M. |
| Supervisor name: | External supervisor: and Robertson, Prof. dr. S.A. and Research Centre for Reproductive Health, the Robinson Instit and University of Adelaide, Australia |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Keywords: | Gynecologie |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2020 10:43 |
| Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2020 10:43 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/499 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |