Development and Validation of Hormonal Impact of a Mouse Xenograft Model for Human Uterine Leiomyoma.

Multiple in vivo animal models for uterine leiomyoma do not adequately represent human disease based on etiology, molecular phenotype, or limited fixed life span. Our objective was to develop a xenograft model with sustained growth, by transplanting a well-established actively growing three-dimensional (3D) cell culture of human leiomyoma and myometrium in NOD/SCID ovariectomized female mice. We demonstrated continued growth to at least 12 weeks and the overexpression of extracellular matrix (ECM). Further, we confirmed maintenance of hormonal response that is comparable to human disease in situ. Leiomyoma xenografts under hormonal treatment demonstrated 8 to12-fold increase of volume over the xenografts not treated with hormones. Estradiol-treated xenografts were more cellular as compared to progesterone or combination milieu, at the end of 8-week time frame. There was also a non-statistically significant 2-4 mm