Immunohistochemical assessment of superoxide dismutase expression in the human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle.

Abstract

The immunohistochemical distribution of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was examined in the human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle. Surface and glandular epithelia showed positive staining throughout the menstrual cycle except just prior to the menstruation.Staining activity was more intense in the cytoplasm than that in the nucleus. Specific immunostaining of SOD was demonstrated in sub-and supranuclear vacuoles of glandular epithelia, and intraglandular substances during the early and mid secretory phases; i.e., the preand peri-implantation periods. Meanwhile, stromal cells showed weaker staining activity than surface and glandular epithelia throughout the menstrual cycle until the 22th day. Once the predecidual change occurred in stromal cells on the 23th day, predecidual cells came to show intensive staining. However, specific staining was shown neither in predecidual cells nor in surface or glandular epithelia just prior to the menstruation. In addition, SOD activity was also shown in the decidual cells of 8 weeks gestation and in the reserve cells of the endocervix. Collectively, the present immunohistochemical recults suggest that SOD may play an important role not only in the protection of developing embryos from superoxide anion radicals but also in the local defense mechanism against tissue damages resulting from inflammation in the uterine cavity, and that the expression of SOD may be regulated by sex steroids, especially progestorone. Furthermore, SOD could be a useful indicator to clinically diagnose the degree of predecidualization and the luteal phase defect.The superoxide anion, a free radical generated during the monovalent metabolic reduction of oxygen, is toxic to the aerobic cell in which it is produced (13). The superoxide anion radical has been reported to damage cell membrane (22) and DNA (35), and to inactivate various enzymes (6). Also, it has been implicated in a variety of pathologic processes, including diabetes mellitus (11), lung damage (20), hepatitis (36), myocardial reperfusion injury following surgery (16), cataract (4), and so on. Therefore, effective detoxication of the superoxide anion radical appears to be a prerequisite for life in an oxygen-containing environment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), known as superoxide oxidoreductase is an enzyme that catalyzes the dismutation (reduction/oxidation) of the superoxide anion radical in the following reaction: 2H+ +202 --k H202+02, and it is important as a biological defense mechanism against 487 488 Narimoto et al.cell injury mediated through superoxide anion radicals (12). In mammalians, three types of SOD have been identified which have different structures and metal contents: a cytoplasmic copper-zinc SOD (CuZn-SOD) (26), a mitochondrial manganese SOD (Mn-SOD) (3) and an extracellular SOD of high molecular weight (EC-SOD) (23).Mammalian preimplantation embryos grown in vitro are likely to exhibit sub-optimal or retarded development (45). In rodents, for example, the 2-cell block phenomenon, i.e., the proliferation arrest of f...

Role of superoxide dismutase in the fallopian tube function: Immunohistochemical assessment of superoxide dismutase in the fallopian tube.

“…Superoxide anion radicals produced by polymorphonuclear leucocytes cause tissue damage during inflammation (13,25), and the administration of CuZn-SOD has been reported to eliminate or alleviate this damage (1). Recently, we demonstrated the immunohistochemical distribution of CuZn-SOD in the human endometrium, and suggested that CuZn-SOD might play an important role in the local defense mechanisms in the uterus (27). In this study, we demonstrated an intensive CuZn-SOD immunoreactivity in the tubal epithelium of both the ampulla and isthmus portions throughout the menstrual cycle and after menopause.…”

“…Antisera to rhSOD were raised in New Zealand white rabbits. The immunoglobulin fraction was obtained from the antisera, as described previously (27). Localization of the antigens in tissue sections was accomplished by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method, described briefly below.…”

“…CuZn-SOD is widely distributed in tissues of almost all species, and it has been immunohistochemically demonstrated in many tissues such as brain (36), liver (7), lung (34), pancreas (9), uterus (27), and so on (35). However, there is no report about its distribution and biological function in the fallopian tube.…”

Immunohistochemical assessment of CuZn-superoxide dismutase in the human genital organs.

“…The immunoglobulin fraction was obtained from the antiserum by protein A Sepharose CL-4B (Pharmacia Fine Chemicals, Uppsala, Sweden) chromatography. Specificity of the immunoglobulin fraction was also confirmed by Ouchterlony's method, as we already reported (32). Immunohistochemical localization of CuZn-SOD was accomplished by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method, and 3-amino 9-ethyl carbazol (AEC) was used to visualize the localization of CuZn-SOD.…”

“…Recently, using a polyclonal antibody produced against recombinant human CuZn-SOD (r-hSOD), we systematically examined the immunohistochemical distribution of CuZn-SOD in the human female (32,33,42) and male genital organs (34). In this review, we discuss the possible roles of CuZn-SOD in the reproductive organs.…”