Correlation of LOX‑5 and COX‑2 expression with inflammatory pathology and clinical features of adenomyosis

Abstract

Adenomyosis is a common benign disease of women of childbearing age. The typical clinical features are prolonged menstruation, menorrhagia and ingravescent dysmenorrhea. In the present study, the severity of dysmenorrhea was assessed using the visual analogue scale system as follows: 0, No pain; 1-3, minimal pain; 4-6, moderate pain; and 7-10, severe pain. Menstrual blood loss was evaluated using the pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC). Menorrhagia was defined as excessive menstrual blood loss >80 ml (PBAC >100) per period. Specimens of eutopic endometrium (EU) and ectopic endometrium (EC) were collected from 20 patients with adenomyosis to evaluate the association between lipoxygenase-5 (LOX-5) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inflammatory pathology and clinical features of adenomyosis. For that purpose, the expression levels of LOX-5, COX-2, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in the EU and EC of patients with adenomyosis were determined, and clinical data including dysmenorrhea and menstruation were analyzed. Differences in expression levels of LOX-5 and COX-2 were detected, and the correlations between LOX-5, COX-2, IL-6 and IL-8 in different groups were analyzed. In addition, the correlations between LOX-5, COX-2 and clinical features of adenomyosis were investigated. The present study demonstrated that LOX-5 and COX-2 are overexpressed in EU and EC, and they have positive correlations with IL-6 and IL-8, suggesting that adenomyosis lesions are present in inflammatory pathological conditions. The expression levels of LOX-5 and COX-2 exhibited a correlation with dysmenorrhea and menstruation.

Single-cell Transcriptomic Analysis of Eutopic Endometrium and Ectopic Lesions of Adenomyosis

“…CMI-related terms recurred in multiple comparisons between groups and the enrichment of upregulated DEGs, which suggested that canceration, cell motility and in ammation may play an important role in the process of AM. The study of AM suggested that in ammation accumulated in the eutopic endometrium sample compared with in the control sample [40,46], which was supported by the results of the comparison between the AM_EM and AM_CTRL groups in the present study (Additional le 1: Figure S4B, D). In addition, the in ammatory terms were further enriched in the AM_EC group; however, the proportion of in ammation-related subcluster 4 cells in the epithelial cell group was higher in the AM_EM sample than in the AM_EC sample, which may facilitate disease progression because in ammation can promote cell migration and invasion [47].…”

“…The endometrium directly invaded the myometrium, and misplaced pluripotent Müllerian remnants were proposed to cause the pathogenesis of AM [6]. Moreover, in ammatory factors, such as LOX5 and COX2, are related to dysmenorrhoea and menstruation [40], and it has also been reported that angiogenesis participates in the pathophysiology of abnormal uterine bleeding and subfertility in AM [3]. Nevertheless, the precise pathogenesis of AM is still poorly understood.…”

Thiophene-Based Compounds with Potential Anti-Inflammatory Activity

“…These enzymes have been widely explored for being involved in pathologies such as asthma, anaphylactic shock and cardiovascular diseases. Among them, 5-LOX is the most studied because it is present in inflammatory cells (leukocytes, polymorphonuclear cells, basophils, mast cells, eosinophils, and macrophages) [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Phenolic Compounds’ Occurrence in Opuntia Species and Their Role in the Inflammatory Process: A Review

“…This results in a proteasomal degradation of IκB protein, while NF-κB can then translocate to the nucleus, binding DNA and activating the transcription of some targeted genes for cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL) (IL-1β and IL-6), as well as the production of several enzymes including cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX) ( Figure 4 ) [ 71 , 72 , 73 ]. These latter enzymes have a key role in the inflammatory process through the transformation of the arachidonic acid released from the phospholipid membrane into a spectrum of pro-inflammatory bioactive mediators including prostanoids and leukotrienes, which act by enhancing edema formation, increasing vascular permeability and leukocytes’ infiltration into the injured tissue [ 74 , 75 , 76 ].…”