The role of TGF- β in the pathophysiology of peritoneal endometriosis

AbstractBACKGROUNDEndometriosis is estimated to affect 6 –10% of women of reproductive age and it is associated with chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea and subfertility. It is currently managed surgically or medically but symptoms recur in up to 75% of cases and available medical treatments have undesirable side effects. Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus with lesions typically found on the peritoneum. The aetiology of endometriosis is uncertain but there is increasing evidence that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β plays a major role.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEA descriptive review was undertaken of the published literature on the expression pattern of TGF- β ligands and signalling molecules in women with and without endometriosis, and on the potential roles of TGF-β signalling in the development and progression of peritoneal endometriosis. The current understanding of the TGF-β signalling pathway is summarized.SEARCH METHODSWe searched the Pubmed database using the terms ‘transforming growth factor beta’ and ‘endometriosis’ for studies published between 1995 and 2016. The initial search identified 99 studies and these were used as the basic material for this review. We also extended our remit for important older publications. In addition, we searched the ref erence lists of studies used in this review for additional studies we judged as relevant. Studies which were included in the review focused on peritoneal endometr...
Source: Human Reproduction Update - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research