Epithelial thinning in vaginal atrophy related to lowering of calcitonin gene-related protein, vascular endothelial growth factor, and nerve growth factor expressions in a menopausal rat model

Context: Vaginal atrophy has been observed as a common sexual problem in post-menopausal women. The targeted protein to counteract menopause problems related to vaginal epithelial thinning is currently a research problem that has not been fully investigated. Aims: To explore the possible mechanism underlying vaginal atrophy in rat models. Methods: Following three-week ovariectomy (OVX), Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into two groups and orally administered estradiol for two weeks in the treated group. In parallel with this, six rats with sham surgery were used as control. Marker-related vaginal atrophy, including calcitonin gene-related protein (CGRP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the vaginal wall, were compared using immunohistochemistry. Results: OVX as a menopausal model significantly induced vaginal epithelial cell thinning and decreased the expression of CGRP, VEGF, and NGF compared with sham surgery animals (p<0.05). Estrogen replacement in OVX rats reversed the vaginal atrophic by recovering the protein expression CGRP, VEGF, and NGF (p<0.05). Conclusions: Thus, it may be concluded that a possible mechanism underlying the OVX-induced vaginal atrophy may be related to the downregulation expression of CGRP, VEGF, and NGF in vaginal tissue.