Use of rodent models in the study of menopausal symptoms: A review of experimental studies.

Abstract

Menopause is defined as the cessation of menstruation for more than 1 year due to the loss of ovarian follicles and estrogen depletion. Menopausal symptoms can adversely affect the quality of life of modern people and impose a considerable public health burden. The main treatment for menopausal symptoms is hormone therapy, but this has various side effects. Therefore, basic research on menopausal symptoms is necessary to find alternative treatments for the effective relief of menopausal symptoms. However, due to the complex pathophysiology of menopause and differences between humans and other species in terms of the transition of reproductive senescence, there is currently no ideal experimental model for menopause. This review explores the application of the currently available in vitro and in vivo models, and functional assays used in menopausal research. We discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and translational validity of various animal models used in basic menopausal studies reported in the literature, including ovary-intact, ovariectomy, 4-vinylcylohexene diepoxide-treated, and D-galactose-treated rodent models. These in vivo and in vitro menopause models were evaluated for their ability to mimic ovarian aging and estrogen deficiency, and for their ability to screen and assess potential drug candidates for alleviating the main menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, perimenopausal cognitive impairment, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and skin aging. This review will help in future research to develop novel and safe therapeutic approaches to relieve menopausal symptoms of aged women.