Journal
JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 92, Issue 1-2, Pages 88-96Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2011.06.103
Keywords
Antimicrobial protein; Hormones; Reproductive tract tissue; Postmenopausal women
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Funding
- Swiss National Science Foundation
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, CHUV
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Immunity and hormonal responses in the reproductive tissues of postmenopausal women are poorly understood. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), a multifunctional antimicrobial protein expressed at mucosal surfaces, is thought to play a key role in infectious and inflammatory contexts. The aim of this study was to measure SLPI production along the female reproductive tract in postmenopausal women with and without hormonal treatment. We additionally quantified estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and progesterone receptor A (PRA) in these tissues. Expression of SLPI was decreased in the vagina and ectocervix of women under hormonal treatment. Endocervical ER alpha mRNA expression was increased while this did not reach significance at the protein level. SLPI expression in the endometrium was not influenced by hormonal treatment. We observed attenuated ER alpha expression in the cervix and endometrium of hormonally treated women, whereas vaginal expression was increased. PRA expression was augmented in the cervix and endometrium and unchanged in the vagina. Taken together, our results indicate that hormonal responses and receptor expression are differentially regulated in vaginal tissue compared with the cervix and endometrium. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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