Abnormal endometrial expression of
CC-chemokine receptor-1 (CCR1) may play a role in the pathogenesis of
endometriosis.
Adenomyosis, also called
endometriosis interna, occurs when the endometrium invades the myometrium. The objective of this study was to determine CCR1 expression in endometrium in women with
adenomyosis as compared to women without
adenomyosis. We evaluated endometrial
mRNA and
protein expression in women with and without
adenomyosis using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis, respectively. We detected CCR1-immunoreactive expression in endometrium in all women with and without
adenomyosis. CCR1-immunoreactive staining in endometrial cells was significantly higher in women with
adenomyosis (4.89±1.06) compared to those without
adenomyosis (2.21±1.16, P<0.001). Women with
adenomyosis had higher levels of CCR1
mRNA in endometrium compared to women without
adenomyosis (P<0.05). CCR1
protein levels in endometrium were significantly higher in women with
adenomyosis (1.66±0.79) compared to women without
adenomyosis (0.56±0.13, P<0.001), and positively correlated with the severity of
dysmenorrhea (r=0.87, P<0.001). These results suggest that increased
CC-chemokine receptor expression may play a role in the pathogenesis of
adenomyosis.