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Updated: May 16, 2026
Mouse Model of Surgically-induced Endometriosis by Auto-transplantation of Uterine Tissue
Published on: January 6, 2012
Endostatin gene therapy for endometriosis in rats
1Department of Gynaecology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Objective:
Endostatin gene therapy for endometriosis was studied in an experimental autotransplantation model in rats.
Methods:
Endometriotic lesions were transfected by intralesional injection of the plasmid lipofectamine-endostatin-pBud (group 1), lipofectamine-pBud (empty vector; group 2) or phosphate-buffered saline (group 3). Endostatin mRNA and protein levels in lesions were evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Endostatin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein levels in serum, and microvessel density (MVD) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 protein levels in endometriotic lesions, were also determined.
Results:
Lipofectamine-endostatin-pBud injection increased endostatin mRNA and protein levels in lesions. Lesions were significantly smaller, and serum VEGF levels significantly lower, in group 1 versus controls. Serum VEGF was significantly and negatively correlated with serum endostatin. In group 1, MMP-2 levels and MVD were significantly lower versus controls. MMP-2 level was negatively correlated with endostatin.
Conclusions:
Gene therapy with endostatin appears to be an effective treatment for endometriosis. Restoration of endostatin gene expression by gene transfer in vivo might be a potential gene therapy approach for human endometriosis.
