[Progesterone receptor's profile and the effect of the hormone and its derivatives on invasiveness and MMP2 secretion in endometrial carcinoma cell lines].

INTRODUCTION: Progesterone inhibits endometrial proliferation and is used for the treatment of early stage endometrial carcinoma in women interested in fertility preservation or for advanced or recurrent disease. Better responses and prognosis were documented in women who are progesterone receptor positive. The receptor has 2 main isoforms and the ratio between these two is responsible for progesterone activity OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of progesterone and its derivative on invasion and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) secretion in two endometrial carcinoma cell lines having different progesterone receptor isoform profiles. METHODS: HEC-1A and RL95-2 cell Line cultures were used. Tests for invasion using Matrigel and zymography for MMP secretion were conducted after the exposure of the cells to different derivatives of progesterone. RESULTS: RL95-2 cell are PR-A dominant and were found to be more invasive than HEC-1A which are PR-B dominant. After exposure to progesterone and medroxyprogesterone but not to hydroxyprogesterone invasion and MMP2 secretion were decreased significantly only in the HEC-1A cell line. CONCLUSION: PR-B dominance may predict better responses to progesterone therapy in women with endometrial carcinoma.