Prostaglandin receptor signalling and function in human endometrial pathology.

Prostaglandins are bioactive lipids that exert an autocrine or paracrine function by binding to specific G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to activate intracellular signalling and gene transcription. Prostaglandins are key regulators of reproductive processes, including ovulation, implantation and menstruation. Prostaglandins have been ascertained to have a role in various pathological changes of the reproductive tract including menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis and cancer. Although the mechanism by which prostaglandins modulate these changes remains unclear, much evidence suggests that prostaglandins and their receptors and downstream signalling pathways are involved in angiogenesis and in alterations in cell adhesion, morphology, motility, invasion and metastases. The potential role of prostaglandin receptors in pathological changes of the endometrium has significance for the future development of therapeutic interventions.