Bioengineered endometrial hydrogels with growth factors promote tissue regeneration and restore fertility in murine models

2021

Extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels obtained from decellularized tissues are promising biocompatible materials for tissue regeneration. These biomaterials may provide important options for endometrial pathologies such as Asherman's syndrome and endometrial atrophy, which lack effective therapies thus far. First, we performed a proteomic analysis of a decellularized endometrial porcine hydrogel (EndoECM) to describe the specific role of ECM proteins related to regenerative processes. Furthermore, we investigated the ability of a bioengineered system-EndoECM alone or supplemented with growth factors (GFs)-to repair the endometrium in a murine model of endometrial damage. For this model, the …

Stem Cells and the Endometrium: From the Discovery of Adult Stem Cells to Pre-Clinical Models.

2021

Adult stem cells (ASCs) were long suspected to exist in the endometrium. Indeed, several types of endometrial ASCs were identified in rodents and humans through diverse isolation and characterization techniques. Putative stromal and epithelial stem cell niches were identified in murine models using label-retention techniques. In humans, functional methods (clonogenicity, long-term culture, and multi-lineage differentiation assays) and stem cell markers (CD146, SUSD2/W5C5, LGR5, NTPDase2, SSEA-1, or N-cadherin) facilitated the identification of three main types of endogenous endometrial ASCs: stromal, epithelial progenitor, and endothelial stem cells. Further, exogenous populations of stem c…

Improved Models of Human Endometrial Organoids Based on Hydrogels from Decellularized Endometrium

2021

Organoids are three-dimensional (3D) multicellular tissue models that mimic their corresponding in vivo tissue. Successful efforts have derived organoids from primary tissues such as intestine, liver, and pancreas. For human uterine endometrium, the recent generation of 3D structures from primary endometrial cells is inspiring new studies of this important tissue using precise preclinical models. To improve on these 3D models, we decellularized pig endometrium containing tissue-specific extracellular matrix and generated a hydrogel (EndoECM). Next, we derived three lines of human endometrial organoids and cultured them in optimal and suboptimal culture expansion media with or without EndoEC…

DEVELOPMENT OF SECRETOR AND GESTATIONAL PATIENT-DERIVED ORGANOIDS FROM ADENOMYOSIS DISEASE AS AN IN VITRO MODEL TO STUDY ADENOMYOSIS-RELATED INFERTIL…

2021

Comparison of different sources of platelet-rich plasma as treatment option for infertility-causing endometrial pathologies

2020

Objective To study the effect of human plasma from different sources, namely, umbilical cord blood and adult blood platelet-rich plasma (PRP), on the regeneration of endometrial damage. Design Composition analysis, in vitro approaches, and a preclinical murine model using plasma to promote endometrial regeneration. Setting Hospital and university laboratories. Patient(s)/Animal(s) Adult plasma from four Asherman syndrome/endometrial atrophy patients and one fertile woman, commercial umbilical cord plasma, and uterine-damaged NOD/SCID mice model were used. Intervention(s) Endometrial stromal cells from primary culture and an endometrial stem cell line were cultured in vitro, and uterine-dama…