Diabetes-associated endometrial disruption in the ketonuric, diabetic Chinese hamster

The effects of the ketonuric-diabetic (KD) condition on uterine endometrial morphology were studied in the genetically diabetic Chinese hamster. All KD hamsters were matched for age, body weight and cyclic state with nondiabetic control animals. All KD hamsters were reproductively acyclic as compared to controls. The uterine epithelium of KD hamsters was devoid of surface microvilli, secretory activity, and exhibited a height reduction as compared to controls. The basal lamina underlying the luminal epithelium was 2-5 times as thick in the KD condition than control. The endometrial stroma was disrupted in the KD hamsters, with the endometrium composed of rounded cells surrounded by a thickened intercellular matrix. This was in marked contrast to the stroma of controls which consisted of an orderly array of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. Stromal vessels had a thickened basement membrane in diabetic animals. The results of this study indicate that epithelial and stromal disruption are associated with the KD state in the Chinese hamster and are probably causally associated with reproductive failure.