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This version published online on August 9, 2007
Endocrinology, doi:10.1210/en.2007-0856
A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2007
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Submitted on June 26, 2007
Accepted on July 27, 2007

Progesterone, but not estrogen, stimulates vessel maturation in the mouse endometrium

Jane E. Girling*, Fiona L. Lederman, Lisa M. Walter, and Peter A. W. Rogers

Centre for Women's Health Research, Monash University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Rd, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jane.girling{at}med.monash.edu.au.

The human endometrium undergoes regular periods of growth and regression, including concomitant changes in the vasculature, and is one of the few adult tissues where significant angiogenesis and vascular maturation occurs on a routine, physiological basis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of estrogen and progesterone on endometrial vascular maturation in mice. Endometrial tissues were collected from early pregnant mice (days 1–4) and ovariectomised mice given a single 17{beta}-estradiol (100 ng) injection 24 hours before dissection (short-term estrogen regime), or three consecutive daily injections of progesterone (1 mg) with/without estrogen priming (progesterone regime). Experiments were then repeated with the inclusion of mice treated concurrently with progesterone and either RU486 or a vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) antiserum. Proliferating vascular mural cells (PVMC) were observed on days 3–4 of pregnancy, corresponding with an increase in circulating progesterone. A significant increase in PVMC and {alpha}-smooth muscle actin ({alpha}-SMA, labels mural cells) coverage of vessel profiles were observed in mice treated with progesterone in comparison to controls; no significant change was noted in mice treated with estrogen or with VEGF antiserum. RU486 treatment did not inhibit the progesterone-induced increases in PVMC and mural cell coverage, although progesterone-induced changes in endothelial and epithelial cell proliferation were inhibited. These results show that progesterone, but not estrogen, stimulates vessel maturation in the mouse endometrium. The work illustrates the relevancy of the mouse model for understanding endometrial vascular remodeling during the menstrual cycle and in response to the clinically-important progesterone receptor antagonist RU486.


Key words: angiogenesis • endometrium • mice • mural cells • estrogen • pericytes • progesterone • RU486 • vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) • vessel maturation







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