Reinnervation of rat endometrium in the anterior eye chamber model of experimental endometriosis: Old methods for new questions.
Endometriosis is a benign estrogen-dependent chronic gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterine cavity. In both women and experimental endometriotic rats, endometriosis lesions endow autonomic and sensory nerves, which are thought to contribute to the disease-associated pain. Some evidence indicates that the reinnervation of lesions is regulated by factors produced by the endometrial tissue as well as by environmental factors from the peritoneum. In this study, we examined the reinnervation of the rat endometrial tissue in an ectopic environment different from the peritoneum employing the anterior eye chamber model of experimental endometriosis. At 3 and 6weeks following transplantation, endometrial grafts retained many histological features of the eutopic tissue. Both sympathetic and sensory nerves reinnervated endometrial grafts and distributed in the stroma-like tissue, around blood vessels and in close proximity to the glands and lining epithelium. Sympathetic innervation was more robust than sensory innervation. No significant topographical relationship between sympathetic nerves and macrophages was observed. These results suggest that the rat endometrium possesses intrinsic neuritogenic capacities and can be reinnervated by sympathetic and sensory nerves in ectopic sites different from the peritoneum.
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
Patricia
P
Silveira
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
Camila
C
Texidor-Frugoni
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay.
Gaby F
GF
Martínez
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Avenida Italia 3318, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay. Electronic address: brauer2009@gmail.com.
M Mónica
MM
Brauer
D064591:Allografts / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004717:Endometrium / Q000294:innervation* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
Immune privilege; Macrophages; Peritoneum; Sensory nerves; Sympathetic nerves