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Exogenous dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) with thiol-containing ligands as NO and NO+ donors are capable of exerting both regulatory and cytotoxic effects on diverse biological processes similarly to those characteristic of endogenous nitric oxide. Regulatory activity of DNIC (vasodilation, hypotension, trombosis suppression, red blood cell elasticity increasing, skin wound healing acceleration, penile erection inducing, etc) is determined by their capacity of NO and NO+ transfer to biological targets of the latter (hemo- and thiol-containing proteins, respectively) due to higher affinity of the proteins for NO and NO+ than that of DNIC. Cytotoxic activity of DNIC is endowed with rapid DNIC decomposition under action of iron-chelating compounds resulting in appearance of NO and NO+ in cells and tissues in high amount. The latter mechanism is suggested to cause the blocking effect of DNIC as cytotoxic effectors on the development of benign endometrial tumors in rats with experimental endometriosis. It is also proposed that. a similar mechanism can operate causing at least a delay of malignant tumor proliferation under action of DNIC.

The effect of binuclear dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) with glutathione on endometrioid tumors in rats with experimental endometriosis has been studied. The latter was induced by an autotransplantation model, where two fragments of endometrium with myometrium (2 x 2 mm) from the left uterine horn was grafted to the inner surface of the anterior abdominal wall. The test animals received intraperitoneal injections of 0.5 ml DNIC-glutathione at the dose of 12.5 micromole per kg daily for 12 days 28 days after operation. The injections resulted in more than a 2-fold decrease in the total volume of both large tumors formed from grafts and small additive tumors formed nearby grafts. The disappearance of the additive tumors was also observed in test animals. The EPR signal with g(av) = 2.03 characteristic of protein bound DNIC with thiol-containing ligands was recorded in livers, graft and additive tumors of test and control animals pointing out intensive generation of nitric oxide in rats with experimental endometriosis. Ribonucleotide reductase activation discovered by doublet the EPR signal at g = 2.0 with 2.3 mT hyperfine structure splitting was found in small tumors. The cytotoxic effect of DNIC-glutathione on endometrioid tumors was suggested to be due to DNIC degradation nearby the tumors induced by iron chelating compounds released from the tumors. The degradation resulted in release of a high amount of nitric oxide molecules and nitrosonium ions from DNICs affecting the tumors by way of the cytotoxic effect.

In a group of patients with endometriosis and in a control group of healthy women, the polymorphism of the following systems were studied: ABO and RH blood-group systems; serum proteins haptoglobin (HP), transferrin (TF), vitamin D-transporting protein (GC), protease inhibitor (PI), and the third component of the complement (C3); serum enzymes-amylase of the loci 1 and 2 (AMY1 and AMY2), pseudocholinesterase (E2), and alkaline phosphatase (PP); erythrocytic enzymes-acid phosphatase (ACP1), phosphoglucomutase (PGM1), superoxide dismutase (SOD-A), esterase D (ESD), and glyoxalase (GLO1). Statistically significant differences between the groups compared were established for five genetic systems: ABO, E2, C3, TF, and PGM1. Among patient with endometriosis, the rare alleles of the locus ESD-ESD5 and ESD7-were found, along with ESD 5-5 homozygotes. Several genetic loci can be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis; their products can be specifically realized due to peculiarities of biochemical reactions in the organisms of people predisposed to this pathology.