Abstract
The purpose of this study was to establish a novel mouse model of adenomyosis suitable for longitudinal and quantitative analyses and perinatal outcome studies. Using a 30 G needle, the entire uterine wall of one horn was mechanically punctured at a frequency of 100 times/1 cm (adenomyosis horn). The other horn was left unpunctured (control horn). Balb/c mice were sacrificed on day 14 (D14) or day 65 (D65) (n = 3 each). The uterus was fixed, paraffin-embedded, sliced, and stained. Lesions were detected and counted, and their volumes were measured. Cell proliferation and fibrosis were assessed by Ki67 and Masson's Trichrome staining, respectively. Blood vessels were detected using CD31 immunostaining. Some of the mice (n = 4), were mated and the date of delivery, litter size, number of implantations, and number and volume of postpartum lesions were measured. The number of lesions per horn did not differ between D14 and D65. The volume of the entire lesion was significantly greater on D65 than on D14 (p < 0.0001). The volume of the epithelial part of the lesion was significantly greater in D65 (p < 0.0001). The volume of the stromal part of the lesion was also greater on D65 (p < 0.0001). The percentage of Ki67 positive cells in the epithelial part of the lesion was significantly higher on D14 (p < 0.05). In contrast, the percentage of Ki67-positive cells in the stromal part was significantly higher on D65 (p < 0.01). Vascular density in the lesions was higher in on D65 (p < 0.05). The percentage of fibrotic area was significantly higher on D65 (p < 0.01). The date of delivery was slightly earlier than that reported for healthy mice of the same strain. The litter size was smaller than that reported in previous research. The number of implantation sites did not differ between the control and the adenomyosis horn. The number and volume of lesions did not differ between the non-pregnant and postpartum groups. This model can be applied to evaluate the pathogenesis of adenomyosis, validate the efficacy of therapeutic agents, and evaluate the effect of adenomyosis on pregnancy and vice versa.