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Human Reproduction, Vol. 11, No. 8, pp. 1724-1730, 1996
© 1996 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

research-article

Uterus and endometrium: In-vitro model of uterine leiomyomas: formation of ball-like aggregates

Y. Kobayashi1, T. Nikaido1, Y.L. Zhai1, M. Iinuma1, T. Shiozawa1, M. Shirota2 and S. Fujii1,3

1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Shinshu University Asahi, Matsumoto 390 2Drug Development Research Laboratories Pharma Research Development Division, Hoechst Japan Limited, Japan

Correspondence: 3To whom correspondence should be addressed

To clarify the biological characteristics of uterine leiomyomas, cells explanted and cultured from uterine leiomyomas and from normal myometrlal tissue were observed by time- lapse cinemicrography and phase-contrast microscopy. The histological characteristics were evaluated by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence microscopy, and these observations revealed significant differences. By time-lapse cinemicrography, the cells cultured from leiomyomas and myometriuin differed in their behaviour. Cells from the myometrium started to grow in parallel with the cell's major axis and formed topographically uniform hills and valleys by day 21 of culture. In contrast, the cells from leiomyomas started to grow irregularly, as if having no contact inhibition, and formed ball-like aggregates of cells by day 21 of culture. The aggregates resembled the nodules of leiomyoma in vivo. Ultrastructurally, cells from both leiomyomas and myometrium had typical features of smooth muscle. Immunofluorescently, a different distribu tion of {alpha}-smooth muscle actin-positive filaments and different staining of cellular fibronectin and N-cadherin between the cells from Ieiomyomas and myometrium were observed, which may contribute in part to the different behaviour of the cells. Given that the explant cell culture system resembles the features of uterine leiomyomas in vivo, this suggests that it can be used as an in-vitro model.

Key words: ball-like aggregates/hills and valleys/smooth muscle/tissue culture/uterine leiomyoma


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