Women's Health Research at Naason Science

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Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Patients experience chronic pelvic pain and infertility, with the most likely origin of the tissue deposits (lesions) being endometrial fragments shed at menses. Menstruation is an inflammatory process associated with a dramatic increase in inflammatory mediators and tissue-resident immune cells. The first reported murine model of endometriosis induced lesions by surgical engraftment. This model involves the placement, by suture or adhesion, of uterine tissue into the peritoneal cavity of the same or a recipient mouse. A novel mouse model of Endometriosis is developed that uses syngeneic mouse menstrual donor tissue introduced into the peritoneum of immunocompetent recipient mice.

Study paradigms for examining endometriosis in mice require precision and practice. In general, Naason Science has a 90% success rate in the creation of vascularized endometriomas as well as endometrial tissue. The methodology involves hormonal priming and decidualization in the donor mice and then the correct methodology to introduce donor tissue.

• The model can be used to examine treatments and therapies aimed at reduction of the size and number of endometriomas  
• the composition of endometriomas and endometrial tissue  
• inflammatory markers  abdominal and peripheral pain responses   
• anxiety/depression and other discrete behaviours in home-cage, group housed conditions  
• various molecular markers of inflammation and cytokine response 

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Patients experience chronic pelvic pain and infertility, with the most likely origin of the tissue deposits (lesions) being endometrial fragments shed at menses. 

Naason Science autograft model of endometriosis has an 80 % rate of success in the implantation of autografts from donors to study groups and is confirmed by observation of stromal cells and epithelial cells in donors. The model can be used as a biochemical and histopathological model and also exhibits ongoing pain as well as anxiety and depression. 

Intrastudy and study endpoint readouts from the model are:

• Inflammatory markers (TNF-alpha, IL1-Beta, Total antioxidant activity of test article (TAC)) etc.
• Continual core temperature in group housed rats
• Social distancing in the home cage
• Home cage locomotor activity in group housed conditions
• Animal postural changes
• Home cage rearing
• Ultrasonic vocalization (USV)
• Mechanical allodynia (von Frey) – including bladder
• Histopathlogical scoring (including mean volumes of inplants)
• Raloxifene as a control to gauge pelvic pain from endometriosis
• Plasma haematology and PCR