Mast cell and eosinophil distribution and activation in XXXX endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle.

@entity1 @entity3920 @entity4 @entity23464
Tryptase and @entity3920 immunolocalization techniques have been used to examine the distribution, activation, and tryptase/ @entity3920 phenotype of mast cells (MCs) in 107 endometrial specimens that represented every day of the @entity1 menstrual cycle. MCs were identified in the endometrium in all stages of the menstrual cycle; similar MC numbers were observed for the functionalis, basalis, and muscularis. Extensive MC activation/degranulation, as judged by extracellular tryptase, was a common feature of the functionalis in specimens sampled just prior to and during menstruation. MC activation was also prominent in the functionalis at times coincident with recognized stromal @entity4 . MCs of the functionalis did not contain @entity3920 ; all stained for tryptase and represent the MCT phenotype. By contrast, the basalis and muscularis showed a proportion of MCs containing both tryptase and @entity3920 , MCTC. One important function for extracellular MC tryptase and @entity3920 is their ability to activate precursor forms of the matrix metalloproteinases, enzymes recognized as instrumental in stromal degradation. Quantitative analysis of MC numbers, expressed relative to stromal cell numbers/mm2, indicated no major changes during the menstrual cycle, although changes in MC morphology, granule content, and activation/degranulation were recognized for specific stages. Eosinophils, detected with monoclonal antibodies @entity23464 and EG2, were absent from extravascular sites between Days 5 and 26 but showed local accumulations just prior to and during menstruation. Since MCs and eosinophils between them contain a variety of potent mediators, it seems likely that both cell types assume important functional roles in relation to tissue and vascular remodeling associated with endometrial physiology.
