Thalidomide affects experimental endometriosis: A randomized controlled study in the rat

Afshin Azimirad, Saeed Alborzi, Perikala Vijayananda Kumar, Perikala V. Kumar, Jaleh Zolghadri, Afsoon Zarei, Zohreh Tavana, Mina Azimirad
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research · 2014 · vol. 40(8) , pp. 1989–1997 · doi:10.1111/jog.12434 · PMID:25131765 · W2099810399
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Thalidomide treatment significantly reduced endometriosis implant histopathology scores and modulated leukocyte counts, VEGF-A, and IL-6 concentrations in a rat model.

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Abstract

AIM: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of thalidomide for treatment of experimental endometriosis. METHODS: This study was a parallel-group, double-blind, stratified, randomized controlled animal trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Endometriosis was induced experimentally in 23 mature, nulligravid, female Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing approximately 200 g and aged 2 months. A checkpoint surgery was performed 6 weeks later. Then, the rats were randomly allocated into the thalidomide (22 mg/day p.o.) and control (0.5 mL saline 0.9%/day p.o.) groups of nine. After 6 weeks, they were killed. Before each laparotomy, blood for leukocyte and lymphocyte counts and during them, implants for histopathology and peritoneal fluid for interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A concentrations (by enzyme-linked immunoassay) were collected. Allocation and stratified randomization were done using a computer, based on the obtained histopathology scores of the implants of the checkpoint surgery. RESULTS: The histopathology scores (the main outcome measure) were 2.00 ± 1.55 versus 0.44 ± 1.01 (P = 0.035). The comparisons of after-treatment counts of leukocytes, lymphocytes, VEGF-A and IL-6 between the two groups were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are in favor of therapeutic implication of thalidomide in experimental endometriosis in rats. This is the first time thalidomide has been evaluated on endometriosis in an animal model.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Angiogenesis Inhibitors Disease Models, Animal Endometriosis Immunosuppressive Agents Peritoneal Diseases Thalidomide Angiogenesis Inhibitors Animals Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Immunosuppressive Agents Iran Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Peritoneal Diseases Random Allocation Rats, Sprague-Dawley Thalidomide

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (20)

Cited by (8)

SciLite annotations

chemicals 5
thalidomide thalidomide thalidomide thalidomide thalidomide
organisms 6
zitter rats rodents tachyoryctes rattus sp. rattus sp. rodents

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