Effects of botulinum toxin A on endometriosis‑associated pain and its related mechanism

Mol Med Rep. 2020 Nov;22(5):4351-4359. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11501. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

Abstract

Endometriosis (EMS) is a common disease in women aged 25‑45 years, and pain is the main clinical symptom. The primary clinical treatment is surgical excision and drug therapy targeting the ectopic lesions, but these have not been very effective. Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BTX‑A) has been reported to be useful in the treatment of pain in a variety of diseases. Based on this, the aim of the present study was to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of BTX‑A on EMS. A model of nerve injury induced by oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) was constructed in PC12 cells and EMS mice. Model cells and mice were treated with different concentrations of BTX‑A to observe the changes in pain behavior, to detect cell viability and the secretion of norepinephrine (NE) and methionine enkephalin (M‑EK) in cells and the spinal cord, and to evaluate the expression of apoptosis‑related molecules in spinal cord nerves. The results revealed that BTX‑A significantly reduced the amount of writhing in model mice, enhanced the activity of PC12 OGD cells, increased the secretion of NE and M‑EK in model cells and the spinal cord of mice, and decreased the apoptosis of neural cells in the spinal cord of the model mice. Therefore, it was hypothesized that BTX‑A may alleviate the pain induced by EMS by increasing the secretion of analgesic substances and promoting the repair of nerve injury. The present study provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of pain induced by EMS.

Publication types

  • Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A / administration & dosage*
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A / pharmacology
  • Cell Survival
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Endometriosis / complications
  • Endometriosis / drug therapy*
  • Endometriosis / etiology
  • Endometriosis / metabolism
  • Enkephalin, Methionine / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Enkephalin, Methionine / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Glucose / adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Norepinephrine / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Norepinephrine / metabolism*
  • PC12 Cells
  • Pain / drug therapy*
  • Pain / etiology
  • Pain / metabolism
  • Rats

Substances

  • Enkephalin, Methionine
  • Botulinum Toxins, Type A
  • Glucose
  • Norepinephrine