Table IV.
Rodent model of endometriosis: comparison with endometriosis in women.
| Lesions/symptoms/innervation of lesions | Rat model of endometriosis | Women with endometriosis | References rat | References human |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesions | ||||
| Etiology of lesions | Surgically induced | Endogenous origin (several hypotheses) | Vernon and Wilson (1985) | Giudice and Kao (2004), Bulun (2009) |
| Location of lesions | Restricted to abdomen | Varied, but predominately pelvic cavity | Vernon and Wilson (1985) | Giudice and Kao (2004), Stegmann et al. (2009) |
| Appearance/composition of lesions | Cystic; includes full uterine horn (i.e. endometrium, myometrium and stroma) | Varied appearance (see text): mainly endometrium and stroma | Vernon and Wilson (1985) | Fauconnier and Chapron (2005), Stegmann et al. (2009) |
| Symptoms | ||||
| Dysmenorrhea | No (rats do not menstruate) | Yes | Fauconnier and Chapron (2005) | |
| Dyspareunia/vaginal hyperalgesia | Yes (vaginal hyperalgesia) | Yes (dyspareunia) | Cason et al. (2003) | Anaf et al. (2002) |
| Ovarian cyclicity of dyspareunia | Correlates with estradiol levels and uterine contractions | Unknown | Cason et al. (2003), Wray and Noble (2008) | |
| Referred muscle hyperalgesia | Yes | Yes | Nagabukuro and Berkley (2007b) | Jarrell (2004) |
| Location of referred muscle pain | Abdomen | Pelvic regions/abdomen | Nagabukuro and Berkley (2007b) | Jarrell (2004) |
| Ovarian cyclicity of referred hyperalgesia | Yes: correlates with estradiol levels and uterine contractions | Unknown | Nagabukuro and Berkley (2007b), Wray and Noble (2008) | |
| Urological symptoms | Hyperreflexia | Increased frequency/urgency | Morrison et al. (2006) | Heitkemper and Jarrett (2005), Vercellini et al. (2009c) |
| Pain associated with kidney stones | Increased | Likely increased; becomes more cyclic | Giamberardino et al. (2002) | Giamberardino et al. (2001) |
| Innervation of lesions | ||||
| Sensory innervation of cysts/lesions | Yes | Yes | Berkley et al. (2004) | Berkley et al. (2005), Tokushige et al. (2006b) |
| Sympathetic innervation of cysts/lesions | Yes | Yes | Berkley et al. (2004) | Berkley et al. (2005), Tokushige et al. (2006b) |
| Hormonal influences on cyst/lesion innervation | Correlates with estradiol levels, dyspareunia symptoms, and uterine contractions | Innervation is reduced by Rx with progestogens or combined oral contraceptives | Wray and Noble (2008), Zhang et al. (2008) | Tokushige et al. (2008) |