0013-7227/03/$15.00/0 The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 88(6):2889–2899 Printed in U.S.A. Copyright © 2003 by The Endocrine Society doi: 10.1210/jc.2002-021912 Antiangiogenic Agents Are Effective Inhibitors

Endometriosis is a disease in which the lining of the uterus (endometrium), shed at the time of menstruation, becomes established at sites such as the peritoneum and ovaries. These explants develop a rich blood supply that enables them to survive and grow. We hypothesized that inhibitors of angiogenesis would prevent this growth by disrupting sensitive vessels supplying endometriotic lesions. Vessels sensitive to angiogenic antagonism have few associations with pericyte cells. The vessels supplying human endometriotic lesions were immunohistochemically characterized and found to be predominantly pericyte free. A model in which human endometrium is implanted into nude mice was used to test the effects of two antagonists of the angiogenic growth factor, ENDOMETRIOSIS IS A common disease, affecting about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age (1). It is characterized