Reliability of histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry of a single biopsy for evaluation of endometrial health in Icelandic mares.
Abstract: Endometritis and endometrosis have been and still are the major reasons for infertility in mares. The diagnosis of endometritis can be based on cytology and microbiology, but endometrial biopsy is still the only way to diagnose endometrosis in the mare. Our study attempted to determine if a single biopsy using his-topathology and immunohistochemistry is sufficient to ascertain reasons for infertility in Icelandic mares. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between deviations in endometrial biopsies in terms of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 (PTGS-2) and fibronectin expression and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) infiltration, as well as scoring degeneration in two endometrial biopsies. Methods: Materials were collected from 53 Icelandic breed mares, from whom two endometrial biopsies were collected and they were used for histopathology and for immunohistochemistry for PTGS-2 and fibronectin. Results: In our study, twenty-six of 53 mares (49%) showed differences in the biopsy score between the left and the right uterine horns (p = 0.002). There were statistically significant differences in fibronectin expression (p = 0.001), as well as in PTGS-2 expression in the superficial epithelium (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Significant differences in the biopsy score, and fibronectin and PTGS-2 expression, between two endometrial biopsies obtained from individual mares demonstrated that a single biopsy could be insufficient for diagnosing uterine health status in Icelandic mares.
Publication Date: 2017-10-10 PubMed ID: 28994097DOI: 10.5603/FHC.a2017.0017Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research team investigated whether a single biopsy was sufficient to identify fertility issues in Icelandic mares. They found significant variations in biopsy scores and biomarker expression levels between two samples from the same mare, suggesting that one biopsy may not provide a comprehensive diagnosis.
Study Background and Objectives
- The researchers aimed to assess the effectiveness of histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry analysis of a single biopsy in correctly evaluating endometrial health and fertility in Icelandic mares.
- Issues with endometritis and endometrosis cause infertility in mares, with endometrial biopsies being the only way to diagnose the latter.
- The team utilized biomarkers prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase-2 (PTGS-2) and fibronectin, along with the presence of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), to score and analyze the biopsied tissue.
Methodology
- Biopsies from the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, were collected twice from 53 Icelandic mares.
- Both samples were subjected to histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry for PTGS-2 and fibronectin, biomarkers connected to inflammatory processes in the endometrium.
- The expression levels of these biomarkers and the presence of PMNs, a form of white blood cell, were used to score the health of the endometrium.
Results
- Half of the horses showed different biopsy scores between the two samples (49% or 26 out of 53 mares). This difference was statistically significant.
- Expression of fibronectin as well as PTGS-2 in the surface epithelium also significantly varied between the two biopsies.
Conclusions
- The researchers concluded that a single biopsy may not suffice to definitively diagnose the health of a mare’s endometrium, given the significant differences in biopsy scores and biomarker expression levels between the two samples.
- This finding suggests that a more comprehensive or repeated sampling may be necessary to accurately assess endometrial health and potential fertility complications in Icelandic mares.
Cite This Article
APA
Sikora M, Nowak M, Racheniuk H, Wojtysiak K, Kozdrowski R.
(2017).
Reliability of histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry of a single biopsy for evaluation of endometrial health in Icelandic mares.
Folia Histochem Cytobiol, 55(3), 168-175.
https://doi.org/10.5603/FHC.a2017.0017 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Clinic of Farm Animals, Plac Grunwaldzki Street 49, 50366, Wroclaw, Poland. monika.sikora88@gmail.com.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biopsy / standards
- Biopsy / statistics & numerical data
- Endometritis / diagnosis
- Endometritis / veterinary
- Endometrium / pathology
- Endometrium / surgery
- Female
- Fibronectins / metabolism
- Fibronectins / standards
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses
- Immunohistochemistry
- Reproducibility of Results
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Bazzano M, Marchegiani A, Troisi A, McLean A, Laus F. Serum Amyloid A as a Promising Biomarker in Domestic Animals' Reproduction: Current Knowledge and Future Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2022 Feb 25;12(5).
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