Endometriosis tissue maps place sensory neurons close to glands
High-resolution tissue maps found distinct nerve, immune-cell and connective-tissue patterns around glands in endometriosis lesions. The peer-reviewed study examined patient samples and tested selected interactions in three-dimensional cell cultures. Epithelial cells changed neuronal-marker composition in those cultures. The work maps a possible route into pain biology, without measuring patients’ pain or demonstrating a treatment.
Science··Evening
Gland surroundings contain distinct nerve and immune patterns
In endometriosis, tissue similar to the womb’s inner lining grows in other parts of the body, forming lesions. A peer-reviewed study mapped how nerve, immune and connective-tissue cells were arranged around glands in ovarian and peritoneal lesions. Pain-sensing neurons were enriched near glands. Fibroblasts, cells that help form connective tissue, occupied different nearby and more distant compartments. Cell proximity in these maps does not by itself establish direct physical contact.[1]
Gene activity was measured together with tissue location
Spatial transcriptomics locates gene activity within a tissue instead of losing the cells' positions during analysis. The high-resolution part of the study examined eight lesions from seven patients, with four ovarian and four peritoneal samples. The map used measurement squares eight micrometres wide, combining smaller observations into larger units. Its approximately 2.62 million bins represent sampled tissue areas, rather than a tally of individual cells. Additional imaging and spatial assays tested selected features of the map.[1]
The team grew sensory-neuron organoids, miniature three-dimensional cell models, with endometriotic epithelial organoids and selected fibroblasts for ten days. In cultures containing epithelial cells, the balance of neuronal markers shifted towards sensory neurons. The same pattern was absent when fibroblasts were the only added cells. This laboratory result supports further work on cellular pain mechanisms rather than demonstrating pain relief in patients. The tissue cohort's hormonal contraception also limits comparison with untreated lesions.[1]
