Selective CB2 up-regulation in women affected by endometrial inflammation

Abstract

Endometritis is defined as an inflammation of the endometrial mucosa of the uterus. In endometritis large amounts of toxic mediators, including nitric oxide (NO) are released by inflammatory cells. As a consequence of nitric oxide-dependent injury, the cells respond by triggering protective mechanisms, by changing the endo-cannabinoid system (ECS) which comprises both CB 1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands. The aim of our study was to seek out evidence for the presence of cannabinoid receptors in inflammatory endometrial tissue as well as for their potential role in endometrial inflammation. Our results showed a selective up-regulation of both transcription and expression of CB2 receptors in biopsies from women affected by endometrial inflammation compared to healthy women. The experiments with the nitric oxide-donor S-Nitroso-L-Glutathione (GSNO) suggest that such a selective up-regulation may be related to the nitric oxide release occurring during endometrial inflammation. In addition, we demonstrated an increase in chymase expression, a marker of mast cells, in biopsies of women affected by endometritis. Therefore our results support the hypothesis that the up-regulation of CB2 occurs mainly on mast cells and that it might tend to sensitize these cells to the anti-inflammatory effect exerted by endogenous cannabinoids by binding their receptor and thus preventing the mast cell degranulation and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators. In conclusion, we believe that the selective CB2 up-regulation might play a role as a novel prognostic factor in endometrial inflammation. © 2008 Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.