Luminal and glandular endometrial epithelium express integrins differentially throughout the menstrual cycle: implications for implantation, contraception, and infertility.

Problem: Integrins belong to a family of cell adhesion molecules that are present on virtually all cells. The temporal and spatial expression of these important proteins on the human endometrium suggests that certain integrins may participate in the cascade of molecular events leading to successful implantation.

Methods: Using immunohistochemistry, we studied the expression of 12 different integrins in up to 600 samples of human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle.