Matrix Metalloproteinases, Leukocytes and Menstruation

月经出血问题是妇女疼痛和不适的常见原因，通常只能通过子宫切除术得到满意的治疗。尽管如此，人们对引起月经的过程知之甚少。最近，我们和其他人已经证明了一个生物催化剂家族（酶）的作用，它破坏了子宫内膜组织的结构，并被认为是导致月经出血的原因。然而，在正常月经周期中调节其产生的机制在很大程度上仍然是未知的。最初来自血液的细胞（白细胞，特别是嗜中性粒细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞）在月经前立即急剧增加，这些细胞沿着其他细胞，称为肥大细胞，开始产生许多因子，我们假设这些因子对酶的调节很重要。这些细胞也大量存在于有月经出血问题的妇女的子宫内膜中。这项研究将证明酶和白细胞在月经中起着关键作用，并将确定子宫内膜中的白细胞是如何调节的。这些研究对了解和治疗月经出血疾病具有重要意义。

Menstrual bleeding problems are a common cause of pain and discomfort for women and often are satisfactorily treated only by hysterectomy. Despite this, little is known about the processes causing menstruation. Recently, we and others have demonstrated a role for a family of biological catalysts (enzymes) which break down the structure of the tissue lining the uterus (the endometrium) and are thought to cause menstrual bleeding. However, the mechanisms regulating their production during the normal menstrual cycle is still largely unknown. Cells which come initially from the blood (leukocytes, particularly neutrophils and eosinophils) dramatically increase in numbers immediately prior to menstruation and these along with other cells, known as mast cells, start to produce a number of factors which we postulate are important for regulation of the enzymes. These cells, are also present in high numbers in endometrium of women with menstrual bleeding problems. This study will demonstrate that both the enzymes, and the leukocytes play a critical role in menstruation and will determine how the leukocytes in the endometrium are regulated. The studies have important implications for understanding and treating menstrual bleeding disorders.