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. 2018 May 12;16(1):48.
doi: 10.1186/s12958-018-0361-y.

Effects of pelvic endometriosis and adenomyosis on ciliary beat frequency and muscular contractions in the human fallopian tube

Wei Xia  1   2 , Duo Zhang  1   2 , Jing Ouyang  1   2 , Yan Liang  1   2 , Huiyu Zhang  1   2 , Zhen Huang  1   2 , Guiling Liang  1   2 , Qian Zhu  1   2 , Xiaoming Guan  3 , Jian Zhang  4   5
Affiliations

Effects of pelvic endometriosis and adenomyosis on ciliary beat frequency and muscular contractions in the human fallopian tube

Wei Xia et al. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. .

Abstract

Background: Pelvic endometriosis (EM) and adenomyosis (AM) have different effects on the fallopian tube. This study aimed to assess the transport capability of the fallopian tube in women with pelvic EM or AM.

Methods: Twenty women with uterine leiomyoma (control group), 20 with adenomyosis without pelvic EM (AM group) and 35 with pelvic EM without AM (EM group) were included. EM cases were further divided into the tubal EM and non-tubal EM subgroups. Ciliary beat frequency (CBF), percentage of ciliated cells, and smooth muscle contraction were measured.

Results: CBFs of the ampulla in EM cases were significantly lower than those of control and AM cases; CBFs of the ampulla and isthmus in tubal EM cases were significantly lower than those of the control group and non-tubal EM subgroup. In both the ampulla and isthmus segment, percentages of ciliated cells in EM patients were significantly lower than those of AM and control patients; the tubal EM subgroup showed significantly lower values than the control group and non-tubal EM subgroup. Amplitude-to-weight ratios of longitudinal muscular contractility in EM cases were significantly lower than control values; tubal EM cases showed significantly lower values than controls and the non-tubal EM subgroup. Contraction frequencies in EM cases were significantly lower than those of control and AM cases, in both longitudinal and circular muscles; tubal EM cases showed significantly lower values than controls and the non-tubal EM subgroup.

Conclusion: EM with tubal EM damaged transport function of the fallopian tube, to varying degrees, whereas tubal function in EM without tubal EM and in AM is not altered.

Keywords: Adenomyosis; Ciliary beat frequency (CBF); Endometriosis; Muscular contraction; Percentage of ciliated cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai, China. The approval number is GKLW 2016-42.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Ciliary beat frequency (CBF). Data are mean ± SEM. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Percentage of ciliated cells. Data are mean ± SEM. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Histological analysis of human fallopian tubes. Light microscopy images showing that the non-tubal EM (tubal endometriosis) and tubal EM subgroups had less ciliated cells. Arrows indicate ciliated cells
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Amplitude/Weight ratio of the tubal smooth muscle spontaneous contraction. Data are mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, ***p < 0.001
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Frequency of the tubal smooth muscle spontaneous contraction. Data are mean ± SEM. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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