Oral dosing of CD-1 mice on days 2-5 after birth with tamoxifen but not raloxifene disrupts the development of the myometrium, resulting in adult uterine adenomyosis. Using laser capture microdissection and RT-PCR we have investigated nerve growth factor (NGF) and cognate receptor expression in uterine cells of 6-day-old pups that may be important in early developmental changes that give rise to adenomyosis. NGF down-regulation is known to occur during terminal myogenic differentiation. NGF was found exclusively in endometrial luminal epithelium of controls. It was up-regulated 18-fold in the luminal epithelium following dosing with tamoxifen but not raloxifene. Western blotting for NGF protein in the whole uterus showed a 25-fold increase after tamoxifen treatment. Expression of the low affinity p75 neutrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) was twofold higher in the myometrium compared with luminal epithelium or stroma. This was not altered following tamoxifen treatment. There was no detectable expression of high affinity tyrosine kinase receptor (trkA(NGFR)). This study shows luminal epithelial cells of the endometrium primarily form NGF. This suggests that NGF normally regulates the differentiation of the mesenchyme into uterine myocytes through paracrine mechanisms and that an early disturbance of this process plays a key role in the subsequent development of adenomyosis.