Abstract: Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of lentiviral vector-mediated short hairpin RNA targeting survivin
(LV-survivin shRNA) on the growth of human endometrium xenograft in the abdominal cavity of nude mice. Methods The
endometrium xenografts from 8 women with endometriosis were injected into the peritoneal cavities of 45 nude mice. The
mice were then randomly assigned to receive intraperitoneal injection of LV-survivin shRNA, pGCL-NC-GFP (negative
control) or PBS (blank control). Two weeks later, the number and morphometry of endometriotic lesions were quantified and
the expression of survivin protein were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The formation of endometriotic lesions
was significantly suppressed in mice receiving LV-survivin shRNA injection as compared with those in the two control groups
(P<0.001). The mice in LV-survivin-shRNA group showed significantly down-regulated expression levels of survivin protein
compared with those in the negative and blank control groups, presenting also necrosis in the endometriosis-like lesions in
microscopic observation. Conclusion Lentiviral vector-mediated shRNA can effectively inhibit the expression of survivin in
human endometrium xengrafts and suppress the formation and growth of endometriotic lesions in the abdominal cavities of
nude mice.