Integrin-mediated adhesion of uterine endometrial cells from endometriosis patients to extracellular matrix proteins is enhanced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1).

Objectives: (1) to demonstrate specificity of integrin function in endometrial cell adhesion; (2) to investigate their regulation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1); and (3) to detect differences between cells from patients with and without endometriosis.

Study Design: Endometrial cell cultures from ten patients with and 13 without endometriosis were tested for their expression of integrins alpha2beta1, alpha5beta1, alpha(v)beta3, and alpha4beta1 by immunocytochemistry and for their adhesion to collagen type IV, laminin, and fibronectin.

Results: Integrin expression was independent of cytokine treatment.

In vitro expression of soluble and cell surface-associated CD44 on endometrial cells from women with and without endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis is one of the most common benign gynaecological diseases, and attachment of retrogradely shed viable endometrial cells is considered to be important in its development. CD44 is a multifunctional adhesion molecule that undergoes alternative splicing, giving rise to different isoforms.

Methods: The expression of cell surface-associated CD44 std, v4, v5, v6 and v10 variants before and after cytokine treatment was investigated in endometrial cultures derived from 10 endometriosis patients and 22 women without the disease using immunocytochemistry.