Three-dimensional cell culture of topic endometrium cells and endometrial stem cells from women with endometriosis - A functional and adhesion potential study

• Grant number: 16/17212-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2019
• End date: March 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Marair Gracio Ferreira Sartori
• Grantee: Adriana Luckow Invitti Nogueira
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/16196-8 - Endometriotic implants establishment: an in vitro model applying World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonisation Project (EPhect) Standards, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disorder defined as the presence of endometrial tissue within extra-uterine sites. It affects approximately 10 to 15% of all women of reproductive age and is responsible for a huge diminishing in their quality of life. The main symptoms are infertility and chronic pain. The proliferation of topic and ectopic endometrial tissue was demonstrated in several trials. According to this, and due to the recent identification and characterization of stem cells in the endometrial tissues, the study of organized cell masses of endometrial tissue like endometriosis implants has become of great interest. The formation of endometrial spheroids (endometriospheres) was established by a previous project of our group, showing its potential as a tool for studying the ectopic endometrium in endometriosis. This research intends to elucidate the physiological profile of the endometriospheres through the characterization of their culture survival time, adhesion in a peritoneal-like surface and evaluation of secretion profile during the embryoid body formation and its establishment in a membrane. The evaluation of these processes may contribute to the better understanding of the endometriosis implant formation and its establishment in the peritoneal cavity.