IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 42 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.12891/ceog1916.2015

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Original Research
Assessment of quantitative and qualitative changes of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in normal breast tissue during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle
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1 Gynecology Department, Federal University of Sao Paulo (Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo – UNIFESP), Sao Paulo
2 Biochemistry Department, Federal University of Sao Paulo (Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo – UNIFESP), Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2015, 42(5), 600–604; https://doi.org/10.12891/ceog1916.2015
Published: 10 October 2015
Abstract

The effect of sex hormones on extracellular matrix compounds, such as proteoglycans (PGs) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), in mammary tissue remains poorly understood. The elucidation of extracellular matrix component functions could clarify pathophysiological conditions, such as cyclical mastalgia (breast pain). The authors examined the quantitative and qualitative changes of PGs and GAGs in normal breast tissue during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Twenty-eight eumenorrheic patients with benign breast nodules were divided into groups: Group A included 15 follicular patients and Group B included 13 luteal phase patients. Breast tissue adjacent to the nodules was biochemically analyzed to evaluate the types and concentrations of PGS and GAGs. The distribution of proteoglycans during the menstrual cycle was analyzed with immunofluorescence. PG concentrations were elevated (p < 0.01) during the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase, whereas the concentrations of GAGs did not differ significantly. Immunofluorescence revealed that decorin was mainly found in the intralobular stroma. PG concentrations were elevated during the luteal phase, likely due to the influence of sex hormones on macromolecular synthesis. The PG decorin was observed in normal breast tissue in the intralobular stroma. Although the concentration of GAGs, including dermatan and heparan sulfate, varied cyclically, the differences were not significant.
Keywords
Breast Tissue
Proteoglycans
Glycosaminoglycans
Menstrual Cycle
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