Establishment and evaluation of the applicability of an animal model of pelvic organ prolapse
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Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200062, China

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    Abstract:

    Objective To establish a rat model that can exhibit pathological changes of the sacral ligament similar to that in patients with pelvic organ prolapse, and to explore the effects of increasing the intensity of labor injury and simulating menopause on the histopathology of the sacral ligament in rats, so as to provide an experimental basis for further research. Methods Sixty adult SPF female rats with a body weight of about 300 g were selected, 45 of which had no birth history. They were divided into a blank control (a) group, simulated menopause (b) group, and simulated birth injury + simulated menopause (c) group by a random digital table method. The other 15 rats who had delivered three times in succession were used as alabor injury + simulated birth injury + simulated menopause (d) group. Group A received normal drinking water and food, group B received bilateral ovariectomy, group C received simulated labor injury operation and bilateral ovariectomy to simulate menopause, and group D received bilateral ovariectomy to simulate menopause on the basis of simulated labor injury twice after three consecutive deliveries, which were fed for 8-10 weeks. Eight rats were randomly selected from each group to observe the appearance of the genitalia and the changes of the genital cleft. The changes of integral optical density of type I and type III collagen (COL1A1, COL3A1) and transforming growth factor β-3 (TGFβ-3) in the anterior wall of the vagina were observed and evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of COL1A1, COL3A1, and TGFβ-3 mRNA in the sacral ligament were measured by RT-PCR. Results After modeling, the diameter of the vaginal hiatus in group D was more than 2 mm greater than that in the control group, and there was no obvious prolapse in each group, while group D showed a slightly abnormal perineum.The expression of COL1A1 in the anterior wall of the vagina in group D was significantly lower than that in group A (P< 0. 05), and the relative expression of TGFβ-3 in group C and group D was significantly higher than that in group A (P< 0. 05). The expression of COLIA1 and COL3A1 in the sacral ligament in group D was significantly higher than that in group A (P< 0. 05). The relative expression of TGFβ-3 in group C and group D was significantly higher than that in group A (P< 0. 05). Conclusions After the establishment of the model, the phenotypic outcomes of pelvic organ prolapse was not notable. This model is not suitable for the study of phenotypic changes. This model can be used as an animal model to study the pathophysiological changes of the sacral ligament of pelvic organ prolapse, but it cannot be determined whether the mechanical properties of the sacral ligament of human and rat are similar. It is necessary to combine the advantages and disadvantages of various animals and the actual issue to be resolved to select the most suitable animal model for research.

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History
  • Received:May 21,2020
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  • Online: November 25,2020
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