Abstract
Endometriosis is not only a chronic painful disease, but also one of the most common causes of infertility. However, current therapeutic approaches are insufficient and etiology of endometriosis is uncertain. Most critical to gain more knowledge about this disease is an appropriate animal model. In this study, female marmoset monkeys (n=10), aged more than 6 years, were exposed to different experimental procedures for intrapelvic injection of endometrium by uterine flushing at several time points throughout an experimental period of 2 years. Ovarian cycle length was monitored by endocrine parameters and blood flow of the reproductive organs was analysed by colour Doppler ultrasonography. First “endometriotic foci“ were detected by ultrasound after 5 months treatment. They were then surgically removed and analysed by histology, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology. Clinical symptoms observed in treated monkeys were irregular cycles and occurence of ovarian cysts. Colour doppler examination showed increase of vascular supply in “endometriotic foci“, which were mainly located at the bladder, the ovaries und the uterus. The presence of glandular tissue and stromal fibroblasts of endometrial origin was confirmed by histology as well as by expression patterns of steroid receptors, steroidogenic enzymes and VEGF.
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