Distribution of cyclooxygenase-1, cyclooxygenase-2, and cytosolic phospholipase A2 in the luteal phase human endometrium and ovary.

Objective: To identify the distribution of the enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) in the human ovary and endometrium.

Design: Prospective clinical study.

Setting: Hospital-based unit for reproductive health and research laboratories.

Patient(s): Twenty-nine healthy fertile women with normal menstrual cycles.

Intervention(s): Endometrial and ovarian biopsy samples were obtained from healthy, fertile women in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle or during caesarean section.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Pinopode formation and immunohistochemical staining of cPLA(2), COX-1, and COX-2.

Result(s): In the endometrium, the immunostaining of cPLA(2) was most intense in the luminal epithelium when pinopodes were present. The staining of both COX-1 and COX-2 was most intense in the epithelial cells, with the stroma staining positive only for COX-2. The endometrial vessels expressed COX-2 but not COX-1. The staining of COX-1 and COX-2 was intense on the surface epithelial cells on the outer lining of the ovary.

Conclusion(s): This study details the distribution of these prostaglandin synthase enzymes and emphasizes their importance for the functions of both the endometrium and the ovary.