Abstract
ABSTRACT
The effects of dihematoporphyrin ether (DHE) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) on uterine and ovarian function as related to pregnancy were studied in rats 1 month after treatment. In 14 rats, one segment of one uterine horn was treated with DHE PDT, and the other horn remained untreated. The treated segment histologically showed chronically inflamed granulation tissue and did not allow blastocyst implantation or progression of the blastocyst down the uterus. A single implantation took place in the distal untreated segment of 4 uterine horns, but 3 of these were resorbed later. All contralateral untreated horns contained normal pregnancies. Normal pregnancies also developed in a control group of 10 rats that received PDT treatment without prior injection of DHE. DHE PDT of the ovaries had no effect on ovarian histology or function as measured by estradiol level and pregnancy.
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