Enhanced invasion of stromal cells from adenomyosis in a three-dimensional coculture model is augmented by the presence of myocytes from affected uteri.

OBJECTIVE: To compare endometrial stromal cell invasion from women with and without adenomyosis and the effect of myometrial cells using a three-dimensional coculture.

DESIGN: Case-controlled blinded comparison.

SETTING: University department.

PATIENT(S): Premenopausal women with and without uterine adenomyosis.

INTERVENTION(S): Human endometrial stromal and myometrial cells were grown in a three-dimensional coculture with crossover between cells from uteri with and without adenomyosis. Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry proteomic analysis was performed on culture supernatants.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Depth of stromal cell invasion into collagen matrix and protein expression profiles.

RESULT(S): The depth of invasion for adenomyosis stromal cells (AS) was statistically significantly higher than controls (CS) whether grown on plain collagen, control muscle (CM), or adenomyosis muscle (AM). Coculture with AM enhanced invasion of both CS and AS. Enhanced invasion by AS was more marked in cocultures with AM than CM. Proteomic analysis identified differences that may account for the invasiveness and also many similarities between secretory products related to the disease status.

CONCLUSION(S): Enhanced stromal invasion in adenomyosis is influenced by the myometrium in the in vitro coculture model. This suggests that adenomyosis may be a disease of both the endometrial stroma and myometrium.