Journal of Fertilization: In Vitro - IVF-Worldwide, Reproductive Medicine, Genetics & Stem Cell Biol
Open Access

Abstract

Development of an Animal Model for Thin Endometrium Using 95% Ethanol

Zhao Jing, Gao Hong and Li Yanping

Objective : To develop an animal model of thin endometrium, and to evaluate the histologic effect of 95%
ethanol in the uterine cavity.
Design: Experimental prospective.
Setting: Teaching hospital affiliated with Central South University, Changsha.
Patient(s): Twenty and five female adult rats.
Intervention(s): Animals were divided into three groups: control group were submitted to injection of physiological saline in uteri horn, 5 minutes group received 95% ethanol with 5 minutes of retention, 10 minutes group received 95% ethanol with 10 minutes of retention. Endometrial morphology was analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), and the growth of the epithelial, stromal and vascular cells were evaluated by immunohistochemistry with cytokeratin, vimentin and VEGF.
Main outcome measure(s): Histologic effects.
Result(s): Fourteen uterine endometria thinned in 5 minutes group and the endometrial layers, even all uterine layers of 16 uteri were necrosed in 10 minutes group. Compared with control group, the cytokeratin area per unit endometrium area and the vimentin area per unit endometrium stromal were less and the expression of VEGF decreased in model group. All endometria were characterized by poor regrowth in model group.
Conclusion(s): The study developed an experimental rat model of thin endometrium with 5 minutes retention of 95% ethanol, and the success rate was 70%.