Subcellular distribution of lysosomal enzymes in the human endometrium. II. Effect of the inert, and copper and progesterone-releasing T intrauterine devices

The activities and subcellular distribution of three lysosomal enzymes have been studied on the endometriurn of three groups of women wearers of a progesterone releasing IUD, a Cu-T-200 and an inert T intrauterine devices. The changes in the parameters studied induced by the presence of an inert T were quantitatively small and of limited biological significance. The presence of a copper T induced significant changes mainly during the secretory phase: total activities of the lysosomal enzymes were at least doubled, and in the case of β-glucuronidase the value was almost four times that found in the inert T users. The more outstanding differences observed in the copper T users were in the amount of free activities of glucosaminidase, acid phosphatase and β-glucuronidase which were found to be more than 3, 4 and 6 times higher, respectively, than the activities found in the women using a placebo T. The results obtained in endometria exposed to the continuous release of progesterone were completely different from that observed in the endometria exposed to the continuous release of copper. In this case the existence of a remarkable stability during the menstrual cycle was readily apparent with small or no changes in the free activity of the enzymes during the secretory phase. These results are related to the mechanism of action of the different T-IUDs and to the observed changes in the patterns of bleeding and pain that are observed in women wearers of these contraceptive devices.