title: Rapamycin induces regression of endometriotic lesions by inhibiting neovascularization and cell proliferation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rapamycin is a widely used drug with antifungal, immunosuppressant and antiangiogenic effects. Herein, we studied whether immunosuppressive doses of rapamycin are capable of influencing endometriotic lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested in vitro the potential of rapamycin to inhibit endothelial cell sprouting using the aortic ring assay and we further studied its effect on the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), apoptotic cell death-associated activated caspase-3 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cultured endometrial tissue fragments. In addition, we analyzed the drug in vivo after induction of endometriotic lesions by transplanting isolated endometrial fragments into the dorsal skinfold chamber of Syrian golden hamsters. Using intravital fluorescence microscopy, we repetitively analyzed angiogenesis, neovascularization and microcirculatory parameters over a time period of 14 days in rapamycin-treated animals and DMSO-treated controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Administration of rapamycin significantly reduced the size of the endometriotic lesions. This was associated by inhibition of VEGF-mediated angiogenesis as indicated by a suppression of endothelial cell sprouting in vitro and a reduction of microvessel density in endometriotic lesions in vivo. Moreover, rapamycin directly inhibited cell proliferation within endometrial tissue, while manifestation of apoptotic cell death remained unaffected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that administration of rapamycin may represent a novel therapeutic approach for an antiangiogenic treatment of endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical and Experimental Surgery, University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany. matthias.laschke@uniklinik-saarland.de
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Laschke
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elitzsch
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheuer
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Holstein
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vollmar
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Menger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D020123:Sirolimus