Role of acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 expression in the molecular mechanism of adenomyosis

OBJECTIVE: Adenomyosis is a benign uterine illness characterized by endometrial gland and stromal invasion into the myometrium. Acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) is an enzyme localized in mitochondria that is involved in ketogenesis and ketolysis processes by reversibly catalyzing the formation of acetoacetyl-CoA from two acetyl-CoA molecules. The current study investigated the expression of the ACAT1 molecule in tissue samples of patients diagnosed with adenomyosis and healthy endometrial tissues. It is aimed to determine the differences in ACAT1 gene expression and in this way to discover the first information about the role of ACAT1 in the development and molecular mechanism of adenomyosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the current retrospective study, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival tissues were employed. A total of 76 patient samples were included in the study. Of these samples, 28 are adenomyotic tissue (Group I), 30 are eutopic endometrial tissue (Group II), and 18 are the Control Group. In these groups, the expression levels of the ACAT1 gene were determined by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: When the expression results of the ACAT1 gene were evaluated, statistically significant differences were found between the groups (p<0.05). There was a difference between Group I-Group II and Group I-Control Group regarding the ACAT1 gene. No statistically significant change was observed between Group II and Control Group. It is a remarkable finding that the expression of ACAT1 in adenomyosis tissue is decreased compared with both eutopic endometrium and control groups tissues. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that ACAT1 may be associated with the molecular pathogenesis of adenomyosis.