Of Mice and Women: A Laparoscopic Mouse Model for Endometriosis.
STUDY OBJECTIVE
To demonstrate how a novel laparoscopic approach allows the development of a mouse model for endometriosis after seeding menstrual endometrium from donor mice into the abdominal cavity of syngeneic recipient mice.


DESIGN
A step-by-step video description of the techniques used to adapt the estrous cycle of mice towards a menstrual cycle and to subsequently induce endometriosis via laparoscopic seeding of menstrual endometrium.


SETTING
University research institute.


ETHICS
All animal experiments were ethically approved by KU Leuven, Belgium (ethical approval number: P031/2013).


INTERVENTIONS, MEASUREMENTS, AND MAIN RESULTS
Oophorectomized female C57BL/6JRj mice received a series of estrogen injections. Next, a progesterone pellet was administered, together with a second series of estrogen injections. In addition, decidualization of the endometrium was induced with an intrauterine sesame oil stimulus. Four days later the progesterone pellet was removed and menstruation started [1]. Five hours after the progesterone pellet was removal the uterus was harvested, and the menstrual endometrium was dissected and seeded into the abdominal cavity of syngeneic recipient mice to induce endometriosis [2] using a laparoscopic approach [3]. Uterus and lesions were removed from the recipient mice 1 week after induction, and tissues were immunohistochemically stained for H&E, vimentin, and cytokeratin.


CONCLUSION
In this video we show a novel methodology to induce endometriosis in mice using laparoscopic inoculation of syngeneic menstrual endometrium, mimicking Sampson's theory of retrograde menstruation [4]. Compared with currently available rodent models, our model offers a less invasive and more physiologic way for fundamental and preclinical endometriosis research, with a high endometriosis incidence and lesion take rate.
['Peterse|Daniëlle|D|', 'Binda|M Mercedes|MM|', 'O|Dorien F|DF|', 'Vanhie|Arne|A|', 'Fassbender|Amelie|A|', 'Vriens|Joris|J|', "D'Hooghe|Thomas M|TM|"]
D000818:Animals D004195:Disease Models, Animal D004715:Endometriosis D004717:Endometrium D004967:Estrogens D005260:Female D006801:Humans D010535:Laparoscopy D008597:Menstrual Cycle D008598:Menstruation D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL D011374:Progesterone D011372:Progestins
Endometrium Estrogen Progesterone Decidualization Menstruation