New markers of pelvic organ prolapse
Authors:   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Toktar L.R. , Orazov M.R. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Samsonova I.A. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Kamarova Z.N. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Li K.I. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Pak V.E. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation, Krestinin M.V. ,   Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: August 2023

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a very considerable problem not only due to its high prevalence, but also because of the significant decrease in the quality of life of women suffering from this disease. Given the high prevalence, pelvic floor disorders requiring plastic surgery are becoming an economic problem for public health. In recent decades, techniques for the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) have evolved rapidly. However, the pathophysiology of this disease is still poorly understood, which may be the reason for inadequate, untimely, and sometimes ineffective treatment of POP. One of the important findings when analyzing the results of morphological and morphometric studies of the levator ani muscle in PFD and clinical forms of POP became the detection of significant fibrous degradation of the pelvic floor muscular compartment in all the examined samples. Objective. To search for promising biomarkers of muscular and connective tissue remodeling and the interaction of the muscular and fascial compartments of the pelvic floor to predict pelvic organ prolapse. According to the literature, we found at least three candidate markers for assessing the condition of the muscular-fascial compartment of the pelvic floor: tenascin C, hyaluronic acid (HA), and myofibroblasts (MFB). Tenascin C is a non-structural component of the extracellular matrix of both muscular and connective tissue. Its role in the regulation of inflammation pathways has been discovered in recent studies, but in our study, this protein is of interest as a marker of tissue remodeling in case of tissue damage. Hyaluronic acid is one of the most abundant glycosaminoglycans in the connective tissue of vertebrates. HA is ubiquitous in fascial tissue, but its content is particularly high in loose connective tissue and between muscles and deep fascia. In the fascia, HA is not only a key structural component of the extracellular matrix, but also a functional one. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of HA content in pelvic floor fasciae is likely to help more accurately assess the tissue state, identify the nature of myofascial interaction during the formation of the hernia gate and may be the key to determining the treatment tactics for the initial signs of PFD. Myofibroblasts are connective tissue cells that represent an intermediate link between fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Their main task is to increase the basal tone and rigidity of the fascia and ensure proper muscular-skeletal dynamics. Normally, this tension is not enough for significant changes in musculature biomechanics, but persistent “hypertonicity” of the fascia quite quickly led to the formation of pathological contractures, which limited the motor activity of the underlying muscles. Thus, it can be assumed that myofibroblasts participate in the process of healing and remodeling of the fascial compartment. And the search for MFB in biopsy specimens of the levator ani muscle in patients with PFD can shed light on connective tissue dysplasia as the most controversial component of POP development. Conclusion. To date, the problem of pelvic organ prolapse remains unresolved in modern gynecology. When studying the literature, it became evident that determining the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the myofascial complex of the pelvic floor is necessary to gain a comprehensive picture of the disease. Although the significance of markers in predicting pelvic organ prolapse has not yet been investigated, we express optimistic expectations to find an ideal biomarker of the rate of PFD and POP development, improving knowledge about the pathogenesis of the disease. Key words: biomarkers, hyaluronic acid, myofibroblasts, pelvic organ prolapse, connective tissue, tenascin C