Analysis of putative mucosal SHIV susceptibility factors during repeated DMPA treatments in pigtail macaques.
BACKGROUND
Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) has been associated in some studies with increased HIV susceptibility in women. We used a pigtail macaque model to document the effects of repeated DMPA treatments and their potential contribution to increased SHIV susceptibility.


METHODS
Nine pigtails were administered 2.5, 1.5, or 0.5 mg/kg DMPA in study weeks one and four. Menstrual cycling, vaginal epithelial thickness, and other SHIV susceptibility factors were monitored for a mean of 24 study weeks.


RESULTS
All DMPA treatments suppressed menstrual cycling and increased vaginal pH. The vaginal epithelium thinned naturally during baseline menstrual cycles (from mean of 351 to 161 μm in late-luteal phase). Following DMPA, the non-nucleated layer was temporarily absent. Two weeks post-second DMPA injection, mean epithelial thickness was 53, 45, and 167 μm for the descending doses, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
All animals showed temporal vaginal epithelial thinning with loss of the non-nucleated layer, and vaginal pH changes post-DMPA injections.
['Butler|Katherine|K|', 'Ritter|Jana|J|', 'Ellis|Shanon|S|', 'Henning|Tara R|TR|', 'Montague|Jeltley|J|', 'Zaki|Sherif|S|', 'Garber|David|D|', 'McNicholl|Janet M|JM|', 'Kersh|Ellen N|EN|']
D000818:Animals D003271:Contraceptive Agents, Female D004195:Disease Models, Animal D004198:Disease Susceptibility D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug D005260:Female D006801:Humans D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration D008254:Macaca nemestrina D017258:Medroxyprogesterone Acetate D008597:Menstrual Cycle D009092:Mucous Membrane D011374:Progesterone D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus D014621:Vagina
contraception non-human primates transmission risk