Berberine attenuates hyperalgesia in mice with adenomyosis

Purpose Adenomyosis is a common gynecological disease, but its pathogenesis and treatment options are not yet completely clear. This study aimed to investigate the analgesic effect of berberine on tamoxifen-induced neonatal mouse adenomyosis and its curative effects on the disease.

The mouse adenomyosis model was established in neonatal female mice via oral administration of tamoxifen suspended solution. Adenomyosis mice were given berberine by intraperitoneal injection with the dosage of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg body weight, respectively, at 17 weeks after birth. The pain sensation of the mice was evaluated by hotplate and tail-flick tests. The mRNA levels of gene expression were detected by RT-qPCR. The protein expression was analyzed by ELISA and Western blot.

Berberine reduced the uterine weight, suppressed the myometrial infiltration of ectopic endometrium, improved the hotplate and tail-flick latency of the adenomyosis mice. Mechanistically, berberine downregulated the expression of genes related to pain and inflammation, such as TRPV1, COX-2, VEGF and OTR, impaired the inflammatory response at the DRG site, and inhibited the expression of TLR4 in DRG and uterine tissues.

Berberine attenuates hyperalgesia and exhibits analgesic and therapeutic effects on adenomyosis mice. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability The data supporting the results of this article are included within the article. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. Code availability Not applicable.

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Consent for publication All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript. Additional information Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Zhu, B., Chen, Y., Guo, M. et al. Berberine attenuates hyperalgesia in mice with adenomyosis. Arch Gynecol Obstet 306, 115–125 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-022-06438-y Received: Accepted: Published: Version of record: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-022-06438-y