Human Reproduction, Vol. 17, No. 11, 2832-2838,
November 2002
© 2002 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Culture of menstrual endometrium with peritoneal explants and mesothelial monolayers confirms attachment to intact mesothelial cells*
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and 2 Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
BACKGROUND: To evaluate adhesion of menstrual endometrium (ME) to intact peritoneal mesothelium. METHODS: Explants of peritoneum were cultured for 1 h with ME (n = 6). Specimens were serially sectioned for haematoxylin and eosin stain and immunohistochemistry using an anti-cytokeratin antibody to label mesothelium. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was performed to identify an intact layer of mesothelial cells (MC) underlying sites of ME attachment. Also, ME and MC were labelled with Cell-Tracker® dyes. ME was cultured with mesothelial monolayers for 1 h (n = 10). Cultures were examined with differential interference contrast and CLSM. Optical sections were taken and a three-dimensional model was constructed. RESULTS: In the peritoneal explants, ME adhered to intact mesothelium. There was no evidence of transmesothelial invasion. CLSM of sections of the explants demonstrated an intact monolayer of cytokeratin positive cells below the sites of ME implantation. Cytokeratin negative and positive ME cells adhered to mesothelial cells. Likewise, the ME attached to cultured mesothelium. Orthogonal sections and three-dimensional reconstruction confirmed an intact monolayer of mesothelium underlying ME attachment sites. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that ME adheres rapidly to intact peritoneal mesothelium. Further studies are needed that characterize the mechanisms of ME adhesion to, and migration through, mesothelial cells.
Key words: cell adhesion/endometriosis/mesothelium/peritoneum
3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mail Code 7836, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900. E-mail: witz{at}uthscsa.edu
* Presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, October 22-25, 2001, Orlando, FL, USA.
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