The chemical composition of the cervical mucus (CM), its physical characteristics and the volume of secretion change cyclically throughout the menstrual cycle. The aim of this study was to identify the constitutive protein composition of CM of fertile women and the changes in the CM proteome throughout the menstrual cycle. Five fertile women who had a term delivery within 1 year before the study were enrolled. Proteomic analysis was performed using an Ultimate 3000 Nano/Micro-HPLC apparatus equipped with an FLM-3000-Flow manager module and coupled with an LTQ Orbitrap XL hybrid mass spectrometer; bioinformatic software was used for functional and quantitative analysis. 59, 81 and 43 proteins (mean) were respectively identified in the pre-ovulatory, ovulatory and post-ovulatory samples. 38 common proteins were identified. 42, 38 and 17 exclusive proteins were respectively identified in pre-ovulatory, ovulatory and post-ovulatory CM. The main part of CM constituents has a catalytic activity, which is mainly related to hydrolase activity. The label-free quantitative analysis of the common proteins revealed a significant reduction in the protein abundance index for antileukoproteinase, after the ovulation, and a peak of haptoglobin at ovulation. This is the first application of high-resolution MS-based proteomics for the identification of protein constituents of CM. This approach may contribute to the identification of putative biomarkers of the female reproductive tract.
Endometriosis: the gynecologist's opinion
Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Endometriosis affects 7-
INTRODUZIONESi definisce endometriosi la presenza ectopica di tessuto endometriale, nelle sue componenti ghiandolare e stromale, in sedi differenti dalla cavità uterina. Rappresenta una delle più comuni patologie ginecologiche interessando il 7-10% delle donne in età riproduttiva, il 25-50% delle donne sterili ed il 60% delle pazienti con dismenorrea secondaria. Si stima inoltre che dal 30 al 50% delle donne con endometriosi siano sterili (1). L'endometrio in sede ectopica va incontro alle stesse modificazioni cicliche dell'endometrio eutopico nelle varie fasi del ciclo mestruale. Le sedi interessate dall'endometriosi sono, in ordine di frequenza: ovaie, legamenti utero-sacrali, cavo del Douglas, peritoneo pelvico, salpingi, retto, sigma, vescica e, più raramente, polmone, diaframma, ombelico, cicatrici chirurgiche.EZIOLOGIA E PATOGENESI L'eziologia e la patogenesi dell'endometriosi sono sempre state enigmatiche, dalla prima descrizione fino ad oggi. La teoria dell'impianto di Sampson è attualmente la più accettata. Durante la mestruazione la maggior parte del flusso mestruale è liberato dalle contrazioni uterine in vagina attraverso il canale cervicale; una piccola parte del flusso mestruale, insieme a frustoli di endometrio, giunge f o r p e r s o n a l u s e o n l y
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