STUDIES ON MENSTURAL BLEEDING IN ARTIFICIALLY-CYCLED RHESUS MACAQUES

这个子项目是利用资源的许多研究子项目之一。 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。对子项目的主要支持 子项目的首席调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括美国国立卫生研究院的其他来源。为子项目列出的总成本可能 表示该子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 不是由NCRR赠款提供给次级项目或次级项目工作人员的直接资金。 月经失调是影响30%女性生殖健康的重大医学问题。我们的目标是寻找治疗女性月经大出血的新方法。猕猴是月经的非人类灵长类动物，其生殖道解剖和月经周期与女性非常相似。因此，猕猴是研究月经的极佳模型。在初步研究中，我们分析了子宫内膜RNA，并报告了环氧合酶2(COX2；Ptgs2)的mRNA水平在月经期间显着升高。COX2酶是前列腺素合成的限制性步骤，我们认为前列腺素E2(PGE2)的合成增加与月经期间基质金属蛋白酶(MMPs)的表达增加有关。我们的假设是，干扰PGE2旁分泌系统的药物将减少月经出血。为了验证这一假设，我们正在研究前列腺素E受体抑制剂对恒河猴月经失血的影响。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Menstrual disorders are significant medical problems affecting 30% of women during their reproductive lifetime. Our goal is to identify new treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding in women. Rhesus macaques are menstruating nonhuman primates with reproductive tract anatomy and menstrual cycles that are very similar to those of women. Thus, macaques and are excellent models for studies of menstruation. In preliminary studies we analyzed endometrial RNA and report that cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2; PTGS2) mRNA levels is significantly elevated during menstruation. COX2 enzyme is a limiting step in prostaglandin synthesis and we propose that increased synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is correlated with increased matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) expression during menses. Our hypothesis is that drugs that disrupt the PGE2 paracrine system will reduce menstrual bleeding. To test this hypothesis we are investigating the effect of PGE receptor inhibitors on menstrual blood loss in rhesus macaques.