Delta and kappa opioid receptors in human endometrium during the menstrual cycle: Expression and localization
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Date
2023-04Author
Olabarrieta López, Estíbaliz
Matorras Weinig, José Roberto
Aguirregoitia Marcos, Ekaitz
Metadata
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European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 283 : 68-73 (2023)
Abstract
Objective
Endogenous opioid peptides were reported to be involved in the regulation of reproductive physiology and their precursors and receptors were described in many of the male and female reproductive tissues. Mu opioid receptor (MOR) was described in human endometrial cells and its expression and localization changed during the menstrual cycle. However, there is no data from the distribution of the other opioid receptors: Delta (DOR) and Kappa (KOR). The objective of the present work was to analyze the dynamics of expression and localization of DOR and KOR in human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle.
Study design
Human endometrial samples from different menstrual cycle phases were analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
Results
DOR and KOR were present in all samples analyzed and the protein expression and localization changed throughout the menstrual cycle. Both receptor expression increased during the late proliferative phase and decreased during the late secretory-one, especially in the luminal epithelium. DOR expression was generally higher than KOR expression in all cell compartments.
Conclusions
The presence of DOR and KOR in human endometrium and their dynamic changes during the menstrual cycle join the results previously obtained in MOR suggesting a possible role of opioids in reproduction events related to the human endometrium.