Animal models of endometriosis: Replicating the aetiology and symptoms of the human disorder

Ioannis Simitsidellis, Douglas A Gibson, Philippa T. K. Saunders
Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism · 2018 · vol. 32(3) , pp. 257–269 · doi:10.1016/j.beem.2018.03.004 · PMID:29779580 · W2796336781
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06+body, 2026-06-29 ⓘ

This review describes validated animal models for endometriosis that replicate its etiology and symptoms to advance drug development and our understanding of this chronic disorder.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 · read from full text ⓘ

This review paper evaluates validated animal models used to replicate key features of human endometriosis, including their ability to model aspects of aetiology and symptoms such as chronic pain and infertility. The authors describe several model types—primate, rodent, and xenograft—and summarize how evidence from these models has informed understanding of mechanisms underpinning symptom development and supported preclinical drug testing. A key caveat, as framed in the paper, is that because endometriosis aetiology remains poorly understood and new non-surgical therapies are urgently needed, model development and validation are necessary steps for reliable therapeutic assessment. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it reviews animal models (primate, rodent, xenograft) for replicating endometriosis aetiology and symptoms to support therapy validation.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic incurable disorder that affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age: associated symptoms include chronic pain and infertility. The aetiology of endometriosis remains poorly understood but patients, clinicians and researchers are all in agreement that new non-surgical therapies are urgently needed to reduce the severity of symptoms. Preclinical testing of drugs requires the development and validation of models that recapitulate the key features of the disorder. In this review we describe the best-validated animal models (primate, rodent, xenograft) and their contributions to our understanding of the factors underpinning the development of symptoms. We consider the evidence that these models have provided the platform for identification of new therapeutic interventions and reflect on future directions for research and drug validation.
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Abstract Endometriosis is a chronic incurable disorder that affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age: associated symptoms include chronic pain and infertility. The aetiology of endometriosis remains poorly understood but patients, clinicians and researchers are all in agreement that new non-surgical therapies are urgently needed to reduce the severity of symptoms. Preclinical testing of drugs requires the development and validation of models that recapitulate the key features of the disorder. In this review we describe the best-validated animal models (primate, rodent, xenograft) and their contributions to our understanding of the factors underpinning the development of symptoms. We consider the evidence that these models have provided the platform for identification of new therapeutic interventions and reflect on future directions for research and drug validation. | Original language | English | |---|---| | Journal | Best Practice and Research: Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism | | Early online date | 6 Apr 2018 | | DOIs | | | Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Apr 2018 | Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Animal Models of Endometriosis: replicating the aetiology and symptoms of the human disorder.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this - APA - Author - BIBTEX - Harvard - Standard - RIS - Vancouver

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Disease Models, Animal Endometriosis Endometriosis Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Animals Endometriosis Female Heterografts Humans Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Primates Prodromal Symptoms Rodentia

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