Abstract: Objective To study the expression of nerve fibers marked by protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in situ function layer and ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis (ADS), the relation between the expression of PGP 9.5, NGF and NOGO-B and dysmenorrhea, and the role of nerve fibers in adenomyosis and dysmenorrhea.Methods Thirty ADS patients were enrolled and the expression of PGP 9.5, NGF and in in situ function layer and ectopic endometrium were determined by immunohistochemical method. Normal endometrial tissue from 30 individuals and myometrium from 27 individuals was included as the control group. The relationship of dysmenorrhea score of ADS patients by visual analogue scales (visual analogue scale/score, VAS) and the above-mentioned factors were analyzed.Results In in situ endometrial function layer, PGP 9.5 was specifically expressed in ADS patients. The expressions of PGP 9.5, NGF in ADS in situ function layer and ectopic endometrial tissue were stronger.than those of control group(P<0.05). There was significant correlation between the expression of PGP 9.5, NGF and the degree of dysmenorrhea of ADS-E group (P<0.05), r=0.520, 0.688. The same with the expression of PGP 9.5 and NGF and the degree of dysmenorrhea of ADS-M group (P<0.01), r=0.543 and 0.503. Conclusion The special expression of PGP 9.5 in endometrial function layer of adenomyosis suggests that PGP 9.5 may be a new factor to diagnose adenomyosis. The high expression of PGP 9.5, NGF in adenomyosis suggested that the factors mentioned are positively correlated with dysmenorrhea.

Key words: adenomyosis, nerve fiber, dysmenorrhea, protein gene product(PGP 9.5)