Effect of menopause on hormonal receptors in ampullae of the fallopian tube with a special reference to the p53 signature

OBJECTIVES Age-related changes in the expression of hormonal receptors have not been well examined in the fallopian tube (FT). We herein report the effect of menopause on the hormone receptors in ampullae of the FTs (AFTs), in comparison with cortical inclusion cysts (CICs) of the ovary. METHODS A total of 84 AFTs and 16 fimbriae of FTs, which were obtained from 26 premenopausal and 58 postmenopausal women; and 27 postmenopausal CICs were immunohistochemically studied for the expression of p53, Ki-67, estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α), and progesterone receptor A (PRA). Apoptotic cells were identified using a TUNEL assay. RESULTS Postmenopausal AFTs showed a significantly lower labeling index (LI) for Ki-67 (P<0.001), apoptosis (P=0.03), and PRA (P<0.001) than premenopausal AFTs. No significant correlation with immunohistochemical markers was found in premenopausal AFTs, but the LI for PRA was positively correlated with that for Ki-67 (P=0.004) and inversely with that for p53 (P=0.023) in postmenopausal AFTs. The expression of immunohistochemical markers was closely correlated between ampullae and fimbriae of the FT. The p53 signature (p53S) was detected in five postmenopausal AFTs (mean age: 70.2 years) and was not detected in any CICs. The immunohistochemical profile of p53S was low expression of Ki-67, apoptosis, and PRA, and high expression of ER-α. The expression of PRA in CICs was significantly higher than that in AFTs (P=0.001). CONCLUSION The expression of PRA was significantly lower in postmenopausal AFTs than in premenopausal AFTs, whereas the expression of PRA was well preserved in postmenopausal CICs.