Obstet Gynecol Sci.  2015 Mar;58(2):150-156. 10.5468/ogs.2015.58.2.150.

Innervation in women with uterine myoma and adenomyosis

• Choi YJ
• Chang JA
• Kim YA
• Chang SH
• Chun KC
• Koh JW

• KMID: 2314039
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2015.58.2.150

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To determine if neurofilament (NF) is expressed in the endometrium and the lesions of myomas and adenomyosis, and to determine their correlation.
METHODS
Histologic sections were prepared from hysterectomies performed on women with adenomyosis (n=21), uterine myoma (n=31), and carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix. Full-thickness uterine paraffin blocks, which included the endometrium and myometrium histologic sections, were stained immunohistochemically using the antibodies for monoclonal mouse antihuman NF protein.
RESULTS
NF-positive cells were found in the endometrium and myometrium in 11 women with myoma and in 7 with adenomyosis, but not in patients with carcinoma in situ of uterine cervix, although the difference was statistically not significant. There was no significant difference between the existence of NF-positive cells and menstrual pain or phases. The NF-positive nerve fibers were in direct contact with the lesions in nine cases (29.0%) of myoma and in five cases (23.8%) of adenomyosis. It was analyzed if there was a statistical significance between the existence of NF positive cells in the endometrium and the expression of NF-positive cells in the uterine myoma/adenomyosis lesions. When NF-positive cell were detected in the myoma lesions, the incidence of NF-positive nerve cells in the eutopic endometrium was significantly high. When NF-positive cell were detected in the basal layer, the incidence of NF-positive nerve cells in the myoma lesions and adenomyosis lesions was significantly high.
CONCLUSION
We assume that NF-positive cells in the endometrium and the myoma and adenomyosis lesions might play a role in pathogenesis. Therefore, more studies may be needed on the mechanisms of nerve fiber growth in estrogen-dependent diseases.

Keyword

Adenomyosis; Endometrium; Myoma; Nerve fibers; Neurofilament

MeSH Terms

Adenomyosis*
Animals
Antibodies
Carcinoma in Situ
Cervix Uteri
Dysmenorrhea
Endometrium
Female
Humans
Hysterectomy
Incidence
Leiomyoma*
Mice
Myoma
Myometrium
Nerve Fibers
Neurons
Paraffin
Antibodies
Paraffin

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Neurofilamen (NF)-positive cells in the functional and basal layers of the endometrium and in the myometrium of women with uterine myoma and adenomyosis. (A) NF as a positive control (×100). (B) Endometrium in the functional layer of a woman with uterine myoma that was stained for NF (×40). (C) Uterine myomas stained via H&E staining (×100). (D) After the NF immunostaining, NF-immunostained nerve fibers in the of myoma lesion in some cases (×100). (E) Endometrium in the functional layer of a woman with uterine adenomyosis for NF (×40). (F) NF-immunostained nerve fibers in the adenomyosis lesion in some cases (×40). (G) Stromal cells of the adenomyosis lesions that were immunostained via H&E staining (×200). (H) After the NF immunostaining, NF-immunostained nerve fibers in the adenomyosis lesion in some cases (×200).

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