Expression of Th1 and Th2 cytokine-associated transcription factors, T-bet and GATA-3, in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the expression of T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet) and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3) in the eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis. Endometrial tissues were collected from 20 women with laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and 20 women without endometriosis. T-bet and GATA-3 expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Eutopic endometrial tissues from patients with endometriosis expressed lower levels of T-bet mRNA and high levels of GATA-3 mRNA, leading to a significant lower T-bet/GATA-3 mRNA ratio (P < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the T-bet/GATA-3 protein ratio in endometriosis group was also statistically lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). These results suggested that T-bet and GATA-3 may act as cytokine regulatory genes, and the Th2-specific transcription factor, GATA-3, probably plays an essential role in the immune response and the development of endometriosis.