The role of toll-like receptor 4 in the development of endometriosis and the benefits of trastuzumab in the treatment of endometriosis: a rat model

Zeynep Ece Utkan Korun, Pınar Kirici, Ebru Elibol, Selçuk Kaplan, Talip Karaçor
Biotechnic & histochemistry : official publication of the Biological Stain Commission · 2025 · vol. 100(3) , pp. 129–136 · doi:10.1080/10520295.2025.2486451 · PMID:40260736
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This experimental rat study examined Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) activity in endometriosis development and assessed whether trastuzumab alters experimentally induced endometriotic tissue responses. Twenty-eight female Wistar–Albino rats were assigned to control, endometriosis, endometriosis plus trastuzumab, and trastuzumab-only groups, with histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical (plasma malondialdehyde and glutathione) analyses of collected tissue. Endometriosis induction produced significant histopathological differences versus other groups, strong TLR-4 immunohistochemical staining, and increased plasma malondialdehyde, while glutathione differed significantly between the endometriosis group and trastuzumab-treated groups. The paper concludes that trastuzumab may contribute to reducing histopathological damage and fibrosis via anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity, within this rat-model context. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it uses a rat model to test TLR-4 involvement and evaluate trastuzumab effects on endometriotic implants.

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Abstract

We aimed to investigate TLR-4 receptor activity in the development of endometriosis and the effect of trastuzumab in experimentally induced endometriotic tissue via TLR-4 in this study. Twenty-eight female Wistar-Albino rats were divided into four groups: Group 1 (Control Group), Group 2 (Endometriosis Group), Group 3 (Endometriosis + Trastuzumab Group), and Group 4 (Trastuzumab Group). All animal tissue samples were collected. Histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical analyses were performed. In histopathological analysis, there was a significant difference between Group 2 and other groups in terms of connective tissue edema, inflammation, hemorrhage, epithelial damage, and mast cell density. In immunohistochemical analysis with TLR-4, Group 2 exhibited strong staining. In biochemical analysis, it was found that there was a highly significant difference between Group 2 and Group 1 considering the Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in plasma samples. There was no significant difference in terms of the MDA levels among other groups. Considering the glutathione levels in the plasma samples, it was found that there was a highly significant difference between Group 2 and Groups 3 and 4. Trastuzumab may play a role in the treatment of histopathological damage and fibrosis in experimentally induced endometriotic implants by showing anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity.
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ABSTRACT We aimed to investigate TLR-4 receptor activity in the development of endometriosis and the effect of trastuzumab in experimentally induced endometriotic tissue via TLR-4 in this study. Twenty-eight female Wistar–Albino rats were divided into four groups: Group 1 (Control Group), Group 2 (Endometriosis Group), Group 3 (Endometriosis + Trastuzumab Group), and Group 4 (Trastuzumab Group). All animal tissue samples were collected. Histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical analyses were performed. In histopathological analysis, there was a significant difference between Group 2 and other groups in terms of connective tissue edema, inflammation, hemorrhage, epithelial damage, and mast cell density. In immunohistochemical analysis with TLR-4, Group 2 exhibited strong staining. In biochemical analysis, it was found that there was a highly significant difference between Group 2 and Group 1 considering the Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in plasma samples. There was no significant difference in terms of the MDA levels among other groups. Considering the glutathione levels in the plasma samples, it was found that there was a highly significant difference between Group 2 and Groups 3 and 4. Trastuzumab may play a role in the treatment of histopathological damage and fibrosis in experimentally induced endometriotic implants by showing anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity. Disclosure statement The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

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