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Review
. 2024 Dec 3:12:1495338.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1495338. eCollection 2024.

Biotechnological progresses in modelling the human endometrium: the evolution of current in vitro techniques and emerging trends

Marcos Agustina-Hernández  1 , Emilio Francés-Herrero  1 , María Gómez-Álvarez  1 , Paula Alonso-Frías  1 , Mónica Romeu  2 , Ana Monzó  2 , Hortensia Ferrero #  1 , Clara Bueno-Fernandez #  1   3 , Irene Cervelló #  1
Affiliations
Review

Biotechnological progresses in modelling the human endometrium: the evolution of current in vitro techniques and emerging trends

Marcos Agustina-Hernández et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

The endometrium plays a fundamental role in the reproductive system yet many etiologies of infertility-related endometrial diseases such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, Asherman's syndrome or endometrial cancer remain unknown. There are currently no treatments that minimize the effects of this devastating disorder. Appropriate model systems that closely mimic the architecture and function of the endometrium in healthy and pathological states are needed to understand the underlying molecular pathways and develop novel or more effective treatments. This review summarizes the key milestones of in vitro culture models of the human endometrium throughout history, as well as the applications of advanced bioengineering techniques in the modelling of both healthy and pathological endometrium. Opportunities for future approaches are also discussed.

Keywords: cell culture; endometrial diseases; endometrial modelling; female reproduction; in vitro techniques; tissue engineering.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Representation of the human endometrial cycle, the layers that form it and endometrial cell populations; epithelial, stromal, and endothelial and immune cells. Created with BioRender.com.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Timeline on the evolution of cell cultures techniques (depicted in the top part of the figure in pink) and advances of these techniques in the study and modelling of the endometrium (depicted in the lower part of the figure in purple). 3D, three-dimensional; CRISPR, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; E2, estrogens; MPS, Microphysiological systems. Created with BioRender.com.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Applications of culture techniques for healthy and pathological endometrium models. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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