Valproic acid alleviates generalized hyperalgesia in mice with induced adenomyosis

Liu X, Xishi Liu, Guo SW, Sun-Wei Guo, Sun‐Wei Guo
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research · 2011 · vol. 37(7) , pp. 696–708 · doi:10.1111/j.1447-0756.2011.01655.x · PMID:21651672 · W1893293809
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Valproic acid and progesterone treatments improved generalized hyperalgesia in mice with induced adenomyosis, with some indication of reduced myometrial infiltration.

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Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that adenomyosis, like endometriosis, may also be an epigenetic disease. In this study, we evaluated the effect of valproic acid (VPA) in ICR mice with adenomyosis, induced by neonatal dosing with tamoxifen. For all mice, we evaluated the bodyweight and the response to thermal stimuli by hotplate and tail-flick tests 4, 8, and 12 weeks after dosing, respectively, and then treated mice with low- and high-dose of VPA, progesterone (P4), P4 + VPA, or vehicle only. Three weeks after treatment, both bodyweight and thermal response tests were evaluated again before sacrifice, and the depth of myometrial infiltration was evaluated. We found that: (i) the induction of adenomyosis resulted in progressive generalized hyperalgesia as measured by hotplate and tail-flick tests, along with decreased bodyweight; (ii) treatment with VPA, P4, or a combination was efficacious in improving generalized hyperalgesia; and (iii) drug treatment appeared to reduce the myometrial infiltration, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Thus, VPA seems to be a promising therapeutics for treating adenomyosis, as reported recently in some case series in humans.

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Condition tags

endometriosisadenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Analgesics, Non-Narcotic Endometriosis Hyperalgesia Tocolytic Agents Valproic Acid Analgesics, Non-Narcotic Analgesics, Non-Narcotic Animals Animals, Newborn Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Hyperalgesia Hyperalgesia Mice Mice, Inbred ICR Myometrium Myometrium Myometrium

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (49)

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