Peritoneal ectopic lesions from women with endometriosis show abnormalities in progesterone-dependent glycan expression.

Examination of 12 paired peritoneal ectopic and eutopic endometria for histochemical binding of Dolichos biflorus agglutinin, normally found in the mid-late secretory part of the cycle, showed a failure of lectin binding in 9 of 11 secretory-phase lesions although the eutopic specimens generally stained normally. This failure of glycan expression in the secretory phase may result from various anomalies, including an inability to respond to progesterone, possibly due to a lack of, or to nonfunctional, progesterone receptors, suggesting that an ectopic environment may produce changes in tissue cell biology and hormonal responsiveness compared with that of eutopic endometrium.