子宫内膜异位症病灶内NLRC3和FOXP3的表达及意义

Expressions and significance of NLRC3 and FOXP3 in foci of endometriosis

为探讨先天性免疫相关分子核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体家族胱天酶募集结构域蛋白3(nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family caspase recruitment domain containing 3,NLRC3)和免疫稳态基本转录因子叉头状蛋白3(forkhead box protein 3,FOXP3)在子宫内膜异位症(endometriosis,EMT)患者中的表达及临床意义。通过免疫组织化学、Western blotting和qRT-PCR方法检测22例Ⅲ期、18例Ⅳ期卵巢异位内膜组织和25例正常子宫内膜组织中NLRC3、FOXP3的表达水平,分析NLRC3、FOXP3表达与EMT临床病理特征的关系及NLRC3、FOXP3表达的相关性。结果显示,与正常子宫内膜组相比,NLRC3表达水平在Ⅲ期、Ⅳ期EMT组均降低,而FOXP3表达水平在Ⅲ期、Ⅳ期EMT组均升高。NLRC3、FOXP3的表达在Ⅲ期、Ⅳ期EMT组中差异无统计学意义。EMT患者中,CA125水平较高的组织中NLRC3表达阳性率更低,而FOXP3^(+)细胞浸润数量更高,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),NLRC3表达与FOXP3^(+)细胞浸润数量呈负相关(P<0.05)。NLRC3、FOXP3的表达在不同年龄、病灶大小、痛经程度中差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。该研究提示,EMT的发病与腹腔微环境免疫失衡有关,通过干预NLRC3、FOXP3的表达靶向治疗EMT失调的免疫微环境是针对EMT新型治疗的潜在途径。

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expressions and clinical significance of the innate immune associated molecule nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family caspase recruitment domain containing 3(NLRC3)and the homeostatic basic transcription factor forkhead box protein 3(FOXP3)in endometriosis(EMT)patients.Immunohistochemistry,western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to detect the expression levels of NLRC3 and FOXP3 in 22 cases of stage III and 18 cases of stage IV of ovarian endometriosis patients and 25 cases of healthy women to analyze the correlation between the expressions of NLRC3,FOXP3 and the clinical pathological characteristics of EMT.The results showed that compared to the normal endometrium group,the expression levels of NLRC3 were decreased in both the stage III and IV EMT groups,while expressions of FOXP3 in both groups increased.The expressions of NLRC3 and FOXP3 in stage III and IV EMT patients showed no significant difference.Analysis of pathological sections revealed that foci with higher CA125 levels correlated with lower positive rate of NLRC3 and higher number of infiltrated FOXP3+cells(P<0.05).There was a negative correlation between the expressions of NLRC3 and numbers of infiltrated FOXP3+cells(P<0.05).In addition,among EMT patients with different ages,lesion sizes and dysmenorrhea degrees,the expression levels of NLRC3 and FOXP3 showed no statistical significance(P>0.05).This study indicates that the pathogenesis of endometriosis is associated with immune imbalance in the abdominal microenvironment.Targeting the unbalanced immune microenvironment of EMT by interfering with the expression of NLRC3 and FOXP3 might be a potential treatment for EMT.