Expression characteristics of cell adhesion factors in ectopic endometrium of patient with adenomyosis and the regulatory role of the TNF-κB signaling pathway

Objective To investigate the expression of cell adhesion factors in the ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis. Methods A total of 20 patients with adenomyosis who were diagnosed in Xuzhou Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from December 2019 to June 2020 were selected and set as an ectopic endometrium group. Meanwhile, 19 patients who underwent hysterectomy due to cervical precancerous lesions were set as a control group. Then, the tissue specimens were collected. The expression of cadherin, selectin and other cell adhesion factors in the endometrium of both groups were compared. Moreover, the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and necrosis factor (NF)-κB P65 protein was detected. Results Compared with the control group, patients in the ectopic endometrium group presented remarkably increases in the expression of N-cadherin, VE-cadherin, L-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), CD22, and neuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1) mRNA (P<0.05), as well as decreases in the expression of E-cadherin (P<0.05). There were no significant differences as to P-selectin and E-selectin mRNA expression between these two groups. Moreover, the expression of TNF-α and NF-κB P65 protein in the ectopic endometrium of patients with adenomyosis was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions There were differences for the expression of cell adhesion factors between the ectopic endometrium of patients with adenomyosis and the eutopic endometrium of the control group. The activation of the TNF-α/NF-κB signaling pathway may be associated with the abnormal expression of cell adhesion factors in the endometrium cells.