Bruner-Tran Kaylon L, Mokshagundam Shilpa, Herington Jennifer L, Ding Tianbing, Osteen Kevin G
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Nashville, TN37232, USA.
Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN37232, USA.
Curr Womens Health Rev. 2018 Jun;14(2):173-188. doi: 10.2174/1573404813666170921162041.
Although it has been more than a century since endometriosis was initially described in the literature, understanding the etiology and natural history of the disease has been challenging. However, the broad utility of murine and rat models of experimental endometriosis has enabled the elucidation of a number of potentially targetable processes which may otherwise promote this disease.
To review a variety of studies utilizing rodent models of endometriosis to illustrate their utility in examining mechanisms associated with development and progression of this disease.
Use of rodent models of endometriosis has provided a much broader understanding of the risk factors for the initial development of endometriosis, the cellular pathology of the disease and the identification of potential therapeutic targets.
Although there are limitations with any animal model, the variety of experimental endometriosis models that have been developed has enabled investigation into numerous aspects of this disease. Thanks to these models, our under-standing of the early processes of disease development, the role of steroid responsiveness, inflammatory processes and the peritoneal environment has been advanced. More recent models have begun to shed light on how epigenetic alterations con-tribute to the molecular basis of this disease as well as the multiple comorbidities which plague many patients. Continued de-velopments of animal models which aid in unraveling the mechanisms of endometriosis development provide the best oppor-tunity to identify therapeutic strategies to prevent or regress this enigmatic disease.
尽管子宫内膜异位症最初在文献中被描述至今已有一个多世纪，但了解该疾病的病因和自然史仍具有挑战性。然而，实验性子宫内膜异位症小鼠和大鼠模型的广泛应用，使得阐明一些可能促进该疾病发展的潜在可靶向过程成为可能。
综述利用子宫内膜异位症啮齿动物模型的各种研究，以说明其在研究与该疾病发生和发展相关机制方面的应用价值。
子宫内膜异位症啮齿动物模型的使用，使人们对子宫内膜异位症初始发展的危险因素、疾病的细胞病理学以及潜在治疗靶点的识别有了更广泛的认识。
尽管任何动物模型都存在局限性，但已开发的多种实验性子宫内膜异位症模型使人们能够对该疾病的诸多方面进行研究。得益于这些模型，我们对疾病发展的早期过程、类固醇反应性的作用、炎症过程和腹膜环境的理解有了进一步的深入。最近的模型已开始揭示表观遗传改变如何促成该疾病的分子基础以及困扰许多患者的多种合并症。有助于阐明子宫内膜异位症发病机制的动物模型的持续发展，为确定预防或逆转这种疑难疾病的治疗策略提供了最佳机会。
