Suppression of Matrix Metalloproteinases Inhibits Establishment of Ectopic Lesions by Human Endometrium in Nude Mice

Matrix metalloproteinases of the stromelysin family are ex-pressed in the human endometrium as a consequence of cel-lular events during the menstrual cycle that require extra-cellular matrix remodeling. We have recently documented the presence of these enzymes in lesions of endometriosis, a benign disease that presents as persistent ectopic sites of en-dometrial tissue, usually within the peritoneal cavity. En-dometriosis can develop after retrograde menstruation of endometrial tissue fragments, and establishment of ectopic sites within the peritoneal cavity requires breakdown of ex-tracellular matrix. To examine whether matrix metallopro-teinases might contribute to the steroid-dependent epidemi-ology and cellular pathophysiology of endometriosis, we have developed an experimental model of endometriosis us-