Increased expression of nuclear factor kappa-B p65 subunit in adenomyosis

OBJECTIVE Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) is a critical proinflammatory regulator that has been suggested to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of endometriosis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether the expression of NF-κB p65 subunit is increased in the eutopic endometrium and/or in the adenomyosis nodule of women with adenomyosis. METHODS Thirty-three women with histologically confirmed adenomyosis after laparoscopic or transabdominal hysterectomy were recruited. Women with carcinoma in situ of uterine cervix without evidence of adenomyosis or endometriosis (n=32) served as controls. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues were sectioned and immunostained utilizing a monoclonal anti-human NF-κB p65 subunit antibody, and the immunoreactivity of NF-κB p65 subunit was compared between women with and without adenomyosis. RESULTS The immunoreactivities of both the nuclear and the cytoplasmic NF-κB p65 subunit were significantly increased in the stromal cells in the eutopic endometrium as well as in the adenomyosis nodule of women with adenomyosis compared with controls, respectively. The nuclear expression of NF-κB p65 subunit was significantly higher in the glandular cells in the eutopic endometrium as well as the adenomyosis nodule of women with adenomyosis compared with controls, respectively. CONCLUSION The expression of NF-κB p65 is increased in the eutopic endometrium and adenomyosis nodule of women with adenomyosis, which strongly suggest that NF-κB plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and/or pathophysiology of adenomyosis.