Gelatin/polycaprolactone membranes promote endometrial regeneration and restore fertility.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of gelatin/polycaprolactone (GT/PCL) membranes for restoring endometrial structure and function and fertility in a rat model of endometrial injury.

Methods: We randomized 125 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to the sham, natural repair (NR), estrogen (E), GT/PCL, and E-GT/PCL groups. Except for the sham group, all rats underwent uterine curettage. After 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks, 12 rats from each group were sacrificed; their uterine tissue was collected for histological, immunohistochemical, and reverse transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction analyses. Eight rats from each group underwent radiography of the uterine cavity. The remaining 25 females were mated with males to assess fertility 60 d postoperatively.

Results: The GT/PCL and E-GT/PCL groups had higher endometrial thickness, collagen degradation, cytokeratin 19, vimentin (VIM) expression, and microvessel densities and had higher levels of estrogen receptors (ERα) but lower levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) than the NR and E groups. They also showed better hysterographic patency, with the shape of the uterine cavity similar to that of the sham group, and higher embryo implantation rates than the NR and E groups.

Conclusions: GT/PCL membranes promote endometrial regeneration and improve fertility in rats. They may help prevent intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) postoperatively and warrant further investigation.