Murine Models of Endometriosis: A Systematic Review

This review inspects the usage of animal models and the practical solutions of this method for different challenges of endometriosis. The objectives of the study are to determine and compare the histopathology, biomarkers, and development of endometrial lesions in murine homologous and heterologous endometriosis models.

The literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, Web Cochrane, and EMBASE from January 1990 to January 2019. Experimental articles in which the establishment of the endometriosis model had been proven through the examination of size, weight, number of implants, adhesion, histologic score, and altered biomarker were eligible for inclusion.

Based on type of induction, articles were categorized into two groups: heterologous-induced method (n=5) and autologousinduced method (n=13). In general, in case of establishing the heterologous induction method is less reliable than the autologous induction method.

Using human endometrial tissues for endometrial inductions is possible in heterologous models under immunosuppression, which is more suitable for therapeutic studies, but time limitation considerations are mandatory for this type of model. Homologous endometriosis inductions cause larger endometrial lesions, biomarkers, and reproduction rate changes similar to those occurring in humans. Similarities make this method more appropriate for pathogenesis and genetic studies and also observe the impact of endometriosis on the next generation. Choosing an appropriate model for the induction of endometriosis is dependent on the purpose of each study.