The effects of ergot and non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists in an experimental mouse model of endometriosis

Francisco Delgado-Rosas, Raúl Gómez, Hortensia Ferrero, Francisco Gaytán, Francisco Gaytan, Juan A. García-Velasco, Juan Garcia-Velasco, Carlos Simón, Antonio Pellicer, António Pellicer
Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2011 · vol. 142(5) , pp. 745–755 · doi:10.1530/rep-11-0223 · PMID:21862695 · W2115056064
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 58 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study found that both ergot-derived cabergoline and non-ergot-derived quinagolide equally inhibited angiogenesis and reduced endometriotic lesion size in a mouse model.

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Abstract

Implantation of a retrogradely shed endometrium during menstruation requires an adequate blood supply, which allows the growth of endometriotic lesions. This suggests that the development of endometriosis can be impaired by inhibiting angiogenesis. The growth of endometriotic foci is impaired by commercial oncological antiangiogenic drugs used to block vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. The dopamine agonist cabergoline (Cb2) inhibits the growth of established endometriosis lesions by exerting antiangiogenic effects through VEGFR2 inactivation. However, the use of ergot-derived Cb2 is associated with an increased incidence of cardiac valve regurgitation. To evaluate the potential usage of non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists for the treatment of human endometriosis, we compared the efficacy of quinagolide with that of Cb2 in preventing angiogenesis and vascularization in a heterologous mouse model of endometriosis. Nude mice whose peritoneum had been implanted with eutopic human endometrial fragments were treated with vehicle, 50 μg/kg per day oral Cb2, or 50 or 200 μg/kg per day quinagolide during a 14-day period. At the end of the treatment period, the implants were excised in order to assess lesion size, cell proliferation, degree of vascularization, and angiogenic gene expression. Neoangiogenesis was inhibited and the size of active endometriotic lesions, cellular proliferation index, and angiogenic gene expression were significantly reduced by both dopamine agonists when compared with the placebo. Given that Cb2 and quinagolide were equally effective in inhibiting angiogenesis and reducing lesion size, these experiments provide the rationale for pilot studies to explore the use of non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists for the treatment of endometriosis in humans.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Disease Models, Animal Dopamine Agonists Endometriosis Ergolines Mice Uterine Diseases Animals Blood Vessels Blood Vessels Blood Vessels Cabergoline Cell Count Cell Proliferation Cell Proliferation Claviceps Claviceps Dopamine Agonists Dopamine Agonists Endometriosis Endometriosis

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References (59)

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