Expression of NF-κB, Bcl-2 and Caspase-8 apoptosis markers in endometrium in external genital endometriosis and chronic endometritis: A retrospective study

Abstract

Apoptosis is one of the twelve subtypes of physiologically programmed cell death that controls cell population, tissue volume, and homeostasis. In the endometrium, apoptosis plays a particularly important role, since it undergoes monthly desquamation, requiring the balance between anti- and pro-apoptotic which plays a key role in cyclic endometrial remodeling.
 The study evaluated the expression of such apoptosis factors as caspase-8, NF-, Bcl-2 in patients with chronic endometritis (CE) (n=23), external genital endometriosis (EGE) (n=20), normal endometrium (control group) (n=7). Statistically significant differences were found for all studied markers (p0.05).
 Increased expression of apoptosis factors probably demonstrates a high pro-inflammatory activity of the endometrium in both CE and EGE. In the case of EGE, this effect is more pronounced at the transcriptional level based on the increased expression of NF- in both glandular and stromal cells of the endometrium. This phenomenon can be explained by the systemic impact of the chronic inflammation. For CHE, despite the antiapototic activity of Bcl2, an increase in Caspase-8 expression in the endometrium may also indicate the predominance of innate immunity activation.
 Thus, an imbalance of pro- and anti-apoptotic factors can simultaneously induce the cytotoxic and cytoprotective interactions in the CE and CHE pathogenesis, but requires further investigations.