OP28
The complement component C3 is expressed by the
endometrial ectopic tissue and is involved in the
endometriotic lesion formation
C. Agostinis 1, G. Zito 1, D. De Santo1, R. Vidergar2,
O. Radillo 1, F. Bossi 1, S. Zorzet2, G. Ricci 1,
R. Bulla 2
1 Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS
Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
2 Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste,
Trieste, Italy
E-mail address: chiara.agostinis@burlo.trieste.it (C. Agostinis).
Background: The complement (C) system is one of the major
components of humoral innate immunity, acting as the first lines
of defence against microbes. The principal roles of C system are the
opsonization and lysis of pathogens, but new roles in inflammatory
and immunological processes are emerging. It is involved in numerous
inflammatory diseases, such as SLE, PNH and endometriosis
(EM).
Several groups have been demonstrated that the glandular
epithelial cells found in endometriotic implants produce and
secrete the C component C3. The aim of this work was to confirm
the presence of C3 the in the ectopic tissue compared to the eutopic
one, and investigate the role of C3 in the pathogenesis of EM.
Methods:Weinvestigated by immunofluorescence, the expression
of C3 on sections of endometriotic cysts and healthy uterus;
we performed RT-qPCR experiments to highlight the synthesis of
this C component at local level. We set up a murine in vivo model
of endometriosis based on the injection of minced uterine tissue
from a donor mouse, into the peritoneum of a receiving animal.
Results: We confirmed the presence of C3 selectively in the
ectopic and not in eutopic endometrium, and the local synthesis
of C3 in endometriotic tissue. We observed a greater amount of
cyst formation in the peritoneum of WT mice compared to C3 KO
mice.Conclusion: We concluded that C3 can actually be considered a
marker of EM and that the local synthesis of this C component can
promote the engraftment of the cysts.
