Vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in arterioles of the human endometrium

Abstract

Menorrhagia affects approximately 15% of all women, often without identifiable cause. Endometrial spiral arterioles are believed to play a major role in controlling menstruation, and are a major site of menstrual loss. We postulate that alterations in the growth and development of spiral arterioles, particularly the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), may contribute to menorrhagia. We examined VSMC proliferation around endometrial arterioles in control and menorrhagic tissues and the possible roles of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and endothelin in this process. Proliferating VSMC were located immunohistochemically, then evaluated using computer-aided image analysis. VSMC prolifer..