Characteristics of Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Isolated from the Endometrium and Endometriosis Lesions of Women with Malformations of the Internal Reproductive Organs

Abstract

We isolated and characterized cell cultures from eutopic endometrium and endometriotic lesions of women with malformations of the internal reproductive organs. The cells had fibroblast-like shape and intensively expressed CD90, CD73, CD105, CD44, CD146, and CD117 and were capable of induced adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation in vitro. The obtained cultures exhibited properties of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells; at the same time, they demonstrated in vitro immunophenotypic differences from cell cultures of eutopic and ectopic endometrium of women without developmental abnormalities, which suggests their functional difference. The cells from eutopic endometrium and from ectopic endometriotic lesions can be used as the model for studying of the etiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis and for testing new drugs for this specific group of patients. Markers CD90 and CD117 were identified as promising molecules for the development of minimally invasive diagnostics of endometriosis based on cell cultures from eutopic endometrium.

Pathogenesis of endometriosis: the genetic/epigenetic theory

“…The mesothelial cell metaplasia theory, proposed in 1942 (31), has been expanded to metaplasia of peritoneal stem cells (215,(221)(222)(223)(224)(225)(226)(227)(228)(229)(230)(231), endometrial stem cells (232,233), and more recently bone marrow cells (221,225,(234)(235)(236)(237)(238), pale cells (239,240) and embryonic remnants (241)(242)(243). These concepts find support in the frequent mesothelialmesenchymal transitions with a role of platelets (244) and in the role of bone marrow cells in peritoneal repair (245).…”

Pathogenesis of deep endometriosis

“…Some of these mesenchymal/ mesothelial cells of the peritoneal cavity (48), of the mesothelial repair after surgery (126) and in endometrium and endometriosis (127)(128)(129)(130)(131) are directly derived from bone marrow. Endometriosis could develop from stem cells in the endometrium (132,133) or in the peritoneal cavity (29,(134)(135)(136)(137)(138)(139)(140)(141)(142)(143)(144), possibly induced by genetic changes (60). Recently a specific cell in the endometrium called pale cell (145,146), because of their appearance, was speculated to be involved in endometriosis and adenomyosis development.…”

Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis in Adolescence: Early Diagnosis and Possible Prevention of Disease Progression

“…Metaplasia is considered a consequence of stem cells' growth activity. Regarding the pathogenesis of endometriosis, stem cells of endometrial [29,30] or peritoneal [12,31,32] origin have been described, probably linked to genetic changes [18]. The existence of specific endometrial cells arising from reiterated ultra-microtrauma of the junctional zone called "pale cell" [33,34] was hypothesized to be the origin of endometriosis and adenomyosis.…”