Fig. 3
General health, lesion distribution, incidence, and estrogen levels in the endometriosis mouse model. (A) Body Weight Monitoring: Cumulative mean ± SEM body weight of control and ENDO mice post-injection. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed between groups throughout the experimental period, indicating that ENDO induction did not compromise the general well-being of recipient mice despite a transient minor decrease in the ENDO group after day 7. (B) Ectopic Lesion Distribution: Representative illustration showing the common anatomical locations of ectopic lesions identified 12 days post-ENDO induction across all mouse strains, including adipose tissue, peritoneal layer, uterine horn, ovaries (adhesions), and internal organs (intestine). (C) Macroscopic Appearance of Ectopic Lesions: Representative in situ photographs of ectopic lesions observed across the three mouse strains. Lesions typically presented as superficial, white cystic or red nodules/lesions exhibiting varying degrees of inflammation. Control mice injected with 1× PBS did not develop any lesions. (D) Incidence of Endometriosis Across Strains: The incidence of ENDO varied significantly among strains, with C57BL/6J exhibiting the highest success rate (92.85%, 13/14), followed by BALB/c (83.33%, 10/12) and Swiss albino (64.28%, 9/14). (E) Circulating Estrogen Levels: ELISA analysis revealed significantly increased circulating estrogen levels in ENDO mice compared to their respective controls across all three strains (p < 0.01, unpaired t-test), indicating systemic estrogen dependence and hormonal dysregulation associated with the model. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.
