Establishment of long-term model throughout regular menstrual cycles in immunodeficient mice.
OBJECTIVE
The number of uterus natural killer (NK) cells change through the menstrual cycle, but the origin of uterus NK cell was not unclear. Our aims are to study whether we can reproduce repetition of menstrual cycle and to reveal the origin of uterus NK cells.


METHODS
Endometrial samples were obtained from fertile women, and the tissues were transplanted into ovariectomized non-obese diabetic (NOD)/severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)/γCnull (NOG) mice. Mice were treated with sex hormones which were in accord with human menstrual cycle.


RESULTS
The replants showed similar histological changes as in eutopic endometrium repeatedly. CD56-positive, CD16-negative NK cells increased significantly during the treatment with estradiol and progesterone combination.


CONCLUSIONS
Histological assessment demonstrated that this model of NOG mice repeatedly exhibited regular menstrual cycles, and this model mimicked not 'ectopic endometrium', but 'eutopic endometrium' in humans. Change in number of NK cells suggested that NK cell might be derived from the endometrium.
Kikuchi-Arai
Maiko
M
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. maiko-k@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp
Murakami
Takashi
T
Utsunomiya
Hiroki
H
Akahira
Jun-ichi
J
Suzuki-Kakisaka
Haruka
H
Terada
Yukihiro
Y
Tachibana
Masahito
M
Hayasaka
Shinichi
S
Ugajin
Tomohisa
T
Yaegashi
Nobuo
N
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016513:Mice, SCID; D023421:Models, Animal; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol