A macaque model for endometriosis induced pelvic pain and infertility

描述（由申请人提供）：子宫内膜异位症是数百万女性痛苦的疾病。子宫内膜异位症的新治疗方法进展缓慢，因为该疾病的生理相关动物模型有限。非人灵长类动物（NHPs）是最适合进行体内研究的动物，通过在狒狒腹腔内接种子宫内膜电流产生子宫内膜异位症是灵长类动物的原型模型。然而，对狒狒的研究受到动物可用性、成本和大型NHPs住房限制的严重限制。相比之下，猕猴是许多研究机构和制药行业首选的NHP，在猕猴身上评估的疗法将很好地转化为临床试验。一些研究已经在猕猴身上创造了异位子宫内膜，但这些研究未能产生可靠的子宫内膜异位症模型。这些失败似乎是技术上的，我们建议可以创建一个可靠的猕猴子宫内膜异位症模型，这将对妇女的健康产生持久的影响。在具体目标1中，我们将完善和验证在自然循环猕猴中产生子宫内膜异位症的方案。由于猕猴子宫颈的解剖学限制，在狒狒身上使用的刮胡子不能在猕猴身上进行。为了克服这个问题，我们将通过针吸收集月经子宫内膜碎片，并将其转移到腹腔镜下的腹腔。对Aim 1的热情源于我们在人工周期猴子的腹膜中接种月经子宫内膜的初步研究。在专项目标2中，我们将记录诱导子宫内膜异位症病变的生长，并评估病变丰度和大小对动物疼痛表现的影响。根据我们的试点数据，我们设计了一个疼痛和不适评分系统，该系统将与活动监测相结合，量化诱发疾病动物的不适程度，并指导动物的疼痛缓解处方。关于疼痛、睡眠和活动的客观数据将用于对诱发子宫内膜异位症动物整个月经周期的疼痛进行评分。与女性一样，与没有子宫内膜异位症的受试者相比，患有子宫内膜异位症的NHPs预计会显示出较低的生育能力。在具体目标3中，我们将评估诱导病变对生育能力的影响。将通过将动物与有生育能力的动物交配来评估其生育能力。盆腔超声和超声造影将用于表征诱导子宫内膜异位症对子宫功能和胚胎着床的影响。这项研究将为未来的研究提供在猕猴体内产生子宫内膜异位症所需的技术的明确评估，并在这个有用的NHP模型中描述疾病的进展，特别强调评估疼痛和不孕。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Endometriosis is a painful disorder for millions of women. Progress on new therapeutic approaches for endometriosis has been slow because there are limited physiologically relevant animal models for the disease. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) constitute the most suitable animals for in vivo studies, and creating endometriosis by inoculating endometrial currettings to the abdominal cavity of the baboon is the prototypic primate model. However, research in baboons is grossly limited by animal availability, cost, and housing constraints for large NHPs. In contrast, macaques are the preferred NHP in many research institutes and the pharmaceutical industry, and therapies evaluated in the macaque would be well-positioned for translation to clinical trials. Several studies have created ectopic endometrium in macaques, those studies failed to yield a reliable endometriosis model. Those failures appear technological and we propose that a reliable macaque endometriosis model can be created that will have a lasting impact on women's health. In Specific Aim 1 we will refine and validate a protocol for creating endometriosis in naturally cycling macaques. Curettage, as used in baboons, cannot be carried out in macaques because of anatomical restrictions in the macaque cervix. To overcome this, we will collect menstrual endometrium debris by needle aspiration and transfer it to the abdominal cavity laparoscopically. Enthusiasm for Aim 1 emanates from pilot studies where we inoculated the peritoneum with menstrual endometrium in artificially-cycled monkeys. In Specific Aim 2 we will document the growth of induced endometriotic lesions and assess the effects of lesion abundance and size on the presentation of pain in the animals. Based on our pilot data we designed a pain and discomfort scoring system, which will be combined with activity monitoring, to quantify discomfort in animals with induced disease and guide the prescription of pain relief for the animals. Objective data on pain, sleep, and activity will be used for scoring pain throughout the menstrual cycle in animals with induced endometriosis. Like women, NHPs with endometriosis are expected to display reduced fertility compared to endometriosis-free subjects. In Specific Aim 3 we will assess the effect of the induced lesions on fertility. Fertility will be assessed by mating the animals with fertile mals. Pelvic ultrasound and contrast enhanced ultrasound imaging will be used to characterize the effects of induced endometriosis on uterine function and embryo implantation. This research will provide a definitive assessment of techniques required to create endometriosis in the macaque for future studies, and characterize the progression of the disease with specific emphasis on assessment of pain and infertility in this useful NHP model.