Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, No. 3, 593,
March 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Letters to the editor |
The SCID mouse, experimental endometriosis and adhesions
Zübeyde H. Women's Hospital, Ankara, Hosdere cad. Örgü sok. As ap. 2/15, Ayranci 06550, Ankara, TurkeyE-mail: narter{at}turk.net or Narter{at}hotmail.com
Dear Sir,
I read with great interest the paper (Awwad et al., 1999
) on the SCID mouse model for experimental endometriosis. This study confirmed the fact that the SCID mouse is one of the best models for the studies of endometriosis.
The authors reported that there were filmy adhesion bands between lesions and pelvic side-walls in five of 57 mice following the injection of human secretory endometrium.
It was shown that an inflammatory reaction is essential for adhesion formation (Ellis et al., 1965; Pados and Devroey, 1992). It was also shown that inhibition of neutrophil counts affected adhesion formation (Vural et al., 1999).
Since severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice possessed a combined congenital deficiency in T- and B-lymphocyte function (Awwad et al., 1999), it seems that it is impossible to observe i.p. adhesions with endometriosis in these animals. Thus, I would propose that the adhesion formation observed in SCID mice was not real and the readers should be informed accordingly.
References
Awwad, J.T., Sayegh, R.A., Tao, X.J. et al. (1999) The SCID mouse: an experimental model for endometriosis. Hum. Reprod., 14, 3107–3111.
Ellis, H., Harrison, W. and Hugh, T.B. (1965) The healing of peritoneum under normal and pathological conditions. Br. J. Surg., 56, 471–475.
Pados G.A. and Devroey P. (1992) Adhesions. Curr. Opin. Obstet. Gynecol., 4, 412–418.[Web of Science][Medline]
Vural, B., Cant, FCrk N.Z., Esen, N. et al. (1999) The role of neutrophils in the formation of peritoneal adhesions. Hum. Reprod., 14, 49–54.
Dear Sir,
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, American University of Beirut P.O. Box 113–6044 Beirut, Lebanon E-mail: jawwad{at}aub.edu.lb
SCID mice are characterized by possessing a congenital deficiency of B- and T-lymphocytic functions. Such feature has been used very favourably by researchers to create an animal model for the engraftment of various ectopic tissues. SCID mice therefore virtually cannot trigger an efficient humoral and cellular-mediated immunological process. This characteristic is nevertheless only relative, since some reports have described the existence of an attenuated cellular-mediated graft rejection via a low activity of natural killer (NK) cells in these animals. The tissue repair process in response to injury on the other hand, remains functional in SCID mice, and is not abolished by B- or T-cell dysfunction.
The presence of a filmy adhesion band in the pelvis of few mice has been criticized by Dr Yesildaglar. I propose to start by defining the possible aetiologies of such finding. Adhesion formation may be the result of a local immunological inflammatory reaction triggered by the implanting ectopic tissue. Such explanation is extremely unlikely in SCID mice in view of their severe immuno-suppressed state. If Dr Yesildaglar is referring to this type of explanation, then I totally support his comments. However, we are in favour of a different explanation. Some degree of peritoneal and visceral injury is likely to have occurred in some mice as a result of the blind placement of the sharp injection needle tip into the abdominal cavity. Such injury when present can trigger a process of tissue repair resulting in adhesion formation.
We believe these adhesion bands represent a natural and preserved expression of tissue repair in response to injury, and NOT to be the outcome of a local inflammatory reaction to an engrafting ectopic tissue.
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