Colocalization of senescent biomarkers in deep, superficial, and ovarian endometriotic lesions: a pilot study

Abstract

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecological condition with deleterious effects on women’s quality of life in terms of physical, emotional, and social compromise. It is an inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, and its presentation varies from superficial peritoneal lesions to deep infiltrative endometriosis and ovarian endometrioma. In our previous study, endometriotic lesions were implicated in cellular senescence as their inflammatory pattern could potentially compromise surrounding tissue integrity, thereby inducing a senescent state in cells. P16Ink4a and lamin b1 are biomarkers used to assess cellular senescence. Indirect immunofluorescence staining is a broad technique used to assess cellular structure and behavior driven by protein–protein interactions that provide valuable information about cell functioning. The etiopathogeny of endometriosis is not completely understood and diagnostic approaches still rely on invasive methods; therefore, it is important to use validated methods to increase our understanding of the disease and the development of novel diagnostic tools. However, indirect immunofluorescence protocols are often tissue specific and, if neglected, can lead to misinterpretation of results. Moreover, no valid endometriotic tissue-specific colocalization immunofluorescence protocols have been established. Thus, we have validated a well-funded and suitable protocol to allow precise evaluation of the three presentations of endometriosis lesions using indirect immunofluorescence aiming to support further investigations in endometriosis lesions.

Higher Oxidative Stress in Endometriotic Lesions Upregulates Senescence-Associated p16ink4a and β-Galactosidase in Stromal Cells

“…Our results are promising but should be interpreted carefully as there are limitations to this study. As presented in previous studies [ 13 , 14 ], p16 INK4A and lamin B1 proteins are more expressed in epithelial cells, and endometriotic lesions may or may not present epithelial cells, depending on the lesion type; thus, compartment-specific proteins could have their expression altered, depending on the tissue evaluated. The association between ROS and senescence traits in stromal cells must be evaluated considering different endpoints, and a quantitative analysis should be performed.…”

“…There is evidence of the involvement of the MAPK signaling pathway [ 11 ] and senescence [ 12 , 13 , 14 ] in the physiopathogenesis of endometriosis. The extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)-mediated pathway modifies cell growth, proliferation, and survival [ 15 , 16 ].…”