Study of uterine inflammation in livestock could help treat infertility in humans

Research to help reduce inflammation in the uterus of livestock animals could help pave the way for developing new drugs to treat infertility in women, according to a new scientific review. 

Using best ethical practice, scientists at Aberystwyth University have been exploring new ways of treating endometritis in sheep, cattle and other farm animals.

Endometritis causes inflammation in the uterus, bringing discomfort to the animal as well as affecting future fertility and production.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that endometritis can also be an important cause of infertility in women.

Researchers hope the recommendations and the knowledge gaps identified in the review paper will help inform understanding among clinical staff treating women with the condition, as well as lead to the development of effective drugs. 

Their findings have been published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Reviews Immunology. 

Dr Debbie Nash from the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University said: 

“Endometritis is a common condition in livestock caused by an infection in the lining of the uterus. Antibiotics are usually used to treat the infection but inflammation can persist, affecting fertility. My recent work has been focused on developing new plant-based drugs which treat the ongoing inflammation in animals and we are looking forward to conducting future studies to shortlist promising products.

“Even though my main focus has been on the health of livestock, there are additional lessons to be learnt from this animal modelling work. We know that chronic endometritis also affects fertility in humans. By sharing what we have learned and applying our knowledge more widely, we hope our research can also help kick-start the search for new therapies for women who suffer from endometritis, especially the early stages of drug discovery.

“Our research practices are all ethically sound and practical. We do not use tissue or cells from live animals in our modelling but source material from abbatoirs which would otherwise be discarded during the meat production process. The importance of good ethical standards in creating lab-based animal models of uterine inflammation was highlighted in the review.”

Dr Nash is currently working with two Welsh-based companies to develop potential products for treating endometritis.

The review of the research by Dr Nash and Joanna L Giles from the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University is published in full in Nature Reviews Immunology (2025): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-025-01200-2