Abstract
Endometriosis is an oestrogen‐dependent, inflammation‐driven gynaecologic disorder causing severe disability. Endometriosis implants are characterized by unbalanced local oestrogen metabolism leading to hyperoestrogenism and aromatase up‐regulation is one of main mechanism involved. Aromatase inhibitors such as letrozole or anastrozole use in young women are associated with severely side effects limiting their long‐term clinical use. An endometriosis‐targeted inhibition of local aromatase could be a viable alternative, although the role of the local inhibition of this enzyme is still unclear. Using a new chick embryo allantoic membrane (CAM) model incorporating xenografted human endometriosis cyst, we showed that topical treatment with anastrozole reduced lesion size, although oestrogens produced by CAM female embryo blunted this effect. Xenografted human endometriosis CAM is a new efficient model for the screening of new drugs targeting endometriosis tissue.
Highlights
Endometriosis is a condition that has long plagued women and baf‐ fles the medical world on its development and causative factors.[1]
Endometriosis implants are characterized by unbalanced local oestrogen metabolism leading to hyperoestrogenism.[3,4]
Third generation aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole have been investigated as therapeu‐ tic option for women with endometriosis
Summary
Endometriosis is a condition that has long plagued women and baf‐ fles the medical world on its development and causative factors.[1]. Endometriosis implants are characterized by unbalanced local oestrogen metabolism leading to hyperoestrogenism.[3,4] Aromatase is one key enzyme in the biosynthesis of oestrogens. It is mainly found in the ovarian granulosa cells, and in a lesser extend in the adipose tissue, brain, bone and placenta. GnRH agonist or synthetic progestins effectively down‐ regulate ovarian estradiol biosynthesis and have very little impact on extraovarian estrogens.[7] In this context, third generation aromatase inhibitors such as anastrozole have been investigated as therapeu‐ tic option for women with endometriosis. In the attempt to investigate anastrozole local effect in human endometriosis, we first investigated a new in‐vivo method allowing the development of human lesions, using chick embryo chorioallan‐ toic membrane (CAM) and tested whether blocking local aro‐ matization affects human endometriosis development
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