Elafin Expression in Mucosa of Fallopian Tubes Is Altered by Hydrosalpinx

Elafin is a natural antimicrobial molecule and a member of the antileukoproteinase (Trappin) family. It is normally expressed in the mucosae of fallopian tubes. Hydrosalpinx is a chronic inflammatory process of the fallopian tubes. The objective of this study is to compare the localization of elafin protein and levels of elafin messenger RNA (mRNA) in the mucosa of oviducts with and without hydrosalpinx. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on tissue sections of hydrosalpinx (n = 10) and normal tubes (n = 22) from paraffin-embedded blocks, obtained from patients who underwent salpingectomy for benign conditions. The main outcome measure was the intensity of staining with 3,3-diaminobenzidine calculated by ImageJ software and mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The mean intensity of elafin (mean +/- standard deviation) in mucosae of the fallopian tubes was 69.68 +/- 24.55 in controls and 32.03 +/- 18.16 in patients with hydrosalpinx (P < .0001). Elafin mRNA levels were reduced in hydrosalpinx, although not significantly (P = .05, n = 9 from each group). Therefore, tubal epithelium of women with hydrosalpinx seems to have a lower expression of elafin, an elastase inhibitor and a natural antimicrobial molecule, compared to normal tubes.