Small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) in the endometrium of polycystic ovary syndrome women: a pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundSmall leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) play an important role in tissue homeostasis and cell proliferation since these proteoglycans sequester multiple growth factors. However, the content of SLRPs in the endometrium of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women is unknown. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that excessive endometrial proliferation in PCOS may be partly related to abnormalities in SLRPs.MethodsIn a cross section study a total of 20 endometrial samples were collected from 10 patients with PCOS and 10 ovulatory women during their proliferative (pre-ovulatory) phase. The study subjects were matched for age, body mass index and race. The age range was 20 to 35 years. All volunteers were evaluated in reproductive endocrinology clinic, Gynecology Division, Clinics Hospital, University of São Paulo Medical School Profile and concentration of small leucine-rich proteoglycans (decorin, lumican, fibromodulin and biglycan) were determined by immunohistochemical testing and Western blotting.ResultsDecorin and lumican demonstrated higher immunoreactivity and relative expression in the endometrium of women with PCOS compared to that of women with regular menstrual cycles.ConclusionOur data suggests that the endometrium of PCOS women demonstrate a greater content of SLRP than controls; decorin and lumican, in particular, were found in higher concentrations in the endometrium of PCOS women during the proliferative phase. These differences may, in part, explain the excess of endometrial proliferation frequently observed in PCOS. Further studies are warranted.

Roles of Two Small Leucine-Rich Proteoglycans Decorin and Biglycan in Pregnancy and Pregnancy-Associated Diseases

“…Hemochorial placentas in different species display many similarities and differences in the trophoblast cell types. Soares et al (2017) reviewed their nomenclature, functions, and molecular signatures in detail [1]. In the human placenta, maternal blood flow toward the placenta for "hemotrophic" nutrition of the embryo is established at the end of the first trimester.…”

“…Endometrial hyperplasia is common among polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients, which display greater DCN protein expression in their proliferative phase of endometrial tissue. This phenomenon has been accounted for by excessive estrogenic activity [164]. Endometriosis, which refers to the presence of endometrium-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, can be treated with dienogest, an effective progestin that reduces endometriotic lesions [165][166][167].…”

Lumican inhibits immune escape and carcinogenic pathways in colorectal adenocarcinoma

“…Its central region contains 10 leucine-rich repeats, which is one of the characteristics of the keratan sulfate subfamily [ 2 ]. LUM is associated with corneal disease and high myopia [ 3 – 11 ], cardiovascular disease [ 12 – 14 ], bone disease [ 15 – 18 ], polycystic ovary syndrome [ 19 ], and systemic lupus erythematosus [ 20 ]. There have been recent reports associating LUM with cancer.…”

Metabolic profile of women with PCOS in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of studies on Brazilian populations. Seven studies were from the Northeast region [23][24][25][26][27][28][29], thirteen studies were from the Southeast [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], five studies were from the South [43][44][45][46][47], and two studies were from the Midwest region [48,49]. No data from the North region were available.…”

“…All the studies used the Rotterdam criteria for diagnosis of PCOS, except by one [40]. In five studies, the control groups and PCOS participants were BMI-matched [25,33,39,41,47]. Ten out of 27 studies had no control group for comparison [27-30, 34, 37, 38, 40, 48, 49] and thus these studies were not included in the meta-analyses.…”