Oxidative stress and endometriosis

Yeon Jean Cho, Heung Yeol Kim
2018 Kosin Medical Journal  
Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. This estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory condition affects women in their reproductive period and is associated with pelvic pain and infertility. 1 The disease occurs in 5-10% in women at reproductive age, and it is 2-5 times more frequent in women with infertility. 2 The most widely accepted hypothesis on the cause of this disease, first proposed by Sampson in 1927, is that viable
more » ... al tissue fragments move in a retrograde fashion through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity during menstruation. 3 There, these refluxed cells adhere, invade, and proliferate in the peritoneal cavity and form endometriotic lesions. The factors contributing to the establishment and persistence of endometriotic lesions most probably include abnormalities of the genital tract, genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalance, altered immune surveillance, inflammatory response, and abnormal regulation of the endometrial cells. Although numerous studies have been conducted, the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unclear in reproductive medicine. Oxidative stress (OS), characterized by an im-Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent chronic inflammatory condition that affects women in their reproductive period and is associated with pelvic pain and infertility. Oxidative stress (OS) occurs when reactive oxygen stress (ROS) and anti-oxidants are in imbalance. OS is a potential factor involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Iron-induced ROS may trigger a chain of events resulting in the development and progression of endometriosis. Endogenous ROS are correlated with increased cellular proliferation and ERK1/2 activation in human endometriotic cells. An oxidative environment leads to stimulation of the ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways that facilitate endometriotic lesion progression through adhesion, angiogenesis, and proliferation. OS is also known to be involved in epigenetic mechanisms in endometriosis. We summarize the recent knowledge in our understanding of the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
doi:10.7180/kmj.2018.33.2.135 fatcat:mwz5gj2gr5az5oqbqj5fgmkatq