Phosphatase of regenerating liver-3: a novel and promising marker in human endometriosis

Objective To investigate the expression of phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) in ectopic, eutopic, and normal endometria and explore its relationship with endometriosis. Design A clinical retrospective and molecular study. Setting Department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine. Patient(s) One hundred and five women with histopathologically confirmed endometriosis, and 50 women with histopathologically assessed normal endometria. Intervention(s) Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis. Main Outcome Measure(s) Expression of PRL-3 protein. Result(s) As shown by the immunohistochemical analysis, PRL-3 was mainly located in the cytoplasm and membrane. The cells that tested positive for PRL-3 were detected in endometriotic tissues that did not occur in eutopic and normal endometria. Statistical analysis indicated that the expression of PRL-3 was closely associated with the clinical stages and recurrence of endometriosis. Conclusion(s) Expression of PRL-3 is related to the clinical stages and recurrence of endometriosis, which provides use with a novel marker and promising target in the treatment of human endometriosis.