Metabolomics Reveals Altered Lipid Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Endometriosis

Endometriosis
is a common chronic estrogen-dependent gynecological
disease affecting 10% of women in their reproductive age. It is characterized
by proliferation of functional endometrial glands and stroma outside
the uterine cavity. In the present study, we used mass spectrometry-based
lipidomics to investigate the alterations in serum lipid profiles
of mice induced with endometriosis. We identified several dysregulated
lipids such as phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, phosphatidyl­ethanolamines,
and triglycerides and show that triglycerides may be due to a general
inflammatory condition in the peritoneum. We also show that in addition
to phosphatidylcholine alteration, there is also an effect in the
ratio of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidyl­ethanolamine in serum
of mice induced with the disease and that this change may be due to
increased expression of the phosphatidyl­ethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene. The study provides new insight
into the etiology of endometriosis.