Estrogen and progesterone cytosol receptor (ERc, PRc) concentrations of endometrium biopsied during different phases of menstrual cycle were measured by dextran-coated charcoal method in 27 normal fertile women and 24 patients with endometriosis. 15 out of 24 endometriotic patients were put on gossypol for 2 months thereafter. After discontinuation of the drug, ERc, PRc contents of endometrium were reexamined during the same cycle day. Serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) levels were also compared before and after gossypol treatment. In addition, endometriotic tissue and intrauterine endometrium were immediately obtained from the same patient after surgery in 16 cases with endometriosis, and their ERc, PRc concentrations were also compared.
Results: endometrium ERc, PRc concentrations of normal controls fluctuated during the menstrual cycle, with the peak at late follicular phase. In endometriosis group, the ERc, PRc contents and cyclic changes of endometrium in situ were not significantly different from the normal controls. However, the ERc, PRc contents of endometriotic tissue were significantly lower than those of endometrium in situ (P = 0.0036 and < 0.0001 respectively) without cyclic changes during menstrual cycle. After 2 months of gossypol therapy, serum E2 and P levels tended to decrease but the differences were not significant. Glandular secretion of endometrium decreased in only 4 out of 15 cases under pathological examination. In contrast, the ERc, PRc concentrations of endometrium in situ differed significantly from the pretreatment values (P = 0.0217 and 0.01 respectively). These data indicated: (1) The response of endometriotic tissue to estrogen and progestin was lower than that of endometrium in situ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)