Expression of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor–like growth factor and its receptors in the human fallopian tube and endometrium after treatment with mifepristone

ObjectiveTo study the effect of mifepristone on heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) and its receptors HER1 and HER4 in the fallopian tube and in the endometrium.DesignProspective clinical study.SettingHospital-based unit for obstetrics and gynecology and research laboratories.Patient(s)Healthy women divided into two groups: controls and patients treated with a single dose of 200 mg mifepristone on day LH+2.Intervention(s)Endometrial biopsies from 30 women were obtained during one control cycle or one treatment cycle. Fallopian tubes from 14 women were collected during laparoscopic sterilizations.Main Outcome Measure(s)Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction.Result(s)The staining intensity of HB-EGF was not affected by mifepristone treatment. Treatment with mifepristone increased the immunostaining on HER1 in the epithelium and the stroma of the endometrium, which was not seen in the fallopian tube. The immunostaining of HER4 decreased in the stroma of the fallopian tube, while an increase was seen in the epithelial cells of the endometrium.Conclusion(s)Treatment with mifepristone has a limited effect on HB-EGF and its receptors in the fallopian tube, while the increase in HER1 and HER4 in the endometrium probably reflects defective endometrial maturation.