Friday 24 November 2006
Statin shows endometriosis relief promise
Source: Fertility and Sterility 2006; Advance online publication
Calculating the inhibitory effect of a statin on angiogenesis in an in vitro model of endometriosis.
Women suffering from endometriosis may benefit from statin treatment, study findings suggest.
Statins may show inhibitory effects on angiogenesis and consequent endometriosis, Robert Casper, from Toronto Centre for Advanced Reproductive Technology, Ontario, Canada, and co-investigators state.
To test this idea, an in vitro culture of human endometrial fragments was developed as an "endometriosis model."
Endometrial samples were collected from 46 normally ovulating women who were referred for infertility treatment.
Tissue cultures were divided into four groups according to lovastatin concentrations in the culture media: (1) 1 microM of lovastatin (n = 10), (2) 5 microM of lovastatin (n = 21), (3) 10 microM lovastatin (n = 15), and (4) the control group (n = 46).
The investigators observed significant invasion of stromal cells into the fibrin matrix in control cultures, with vessel formation by week 2.
In contrast, lovostatin at 5 microM and 10 microM abolished angiogenesis and inhibited cell proliferation, whereas 1 microM of lovastatin only reduced angiogenesis.
"It is possible that administration of a statin during, and for a few days after, menses may prevent viable endometrial cells in retrograde menstrual blood from implanting in the peritoneal cavity by reducing proliferation and angiogenesis," Casper and colleagues conclude.
Posted: 17 November 2006
http://www.orgyn.com/en/news/2006/We...ws_endomet.asp
Statin shows endometriosis relief promise 
