BACKGROUND Endometriosis is a condition that affects women of reproductive age, where the glandular and/or stromal tissues from the eutopic endometrium implant in ectopic locations. It is well established that the survival of ectopic implants is due to lower levels of apoptosis, but no consensus exists as to which pathway/s this is mediated by. The ubiquitin protein shares a similar sequence ho...

Proliferation of endometrium is dependent on sex steroid hormones, but specific growth factors are likely to play an important role in regulating this process. A number of cytokines and growth factors are synthesized in the endometrium in response to sex steroid hormones and act to regulate endometrial function. Endometrial cells produce interleukin-8 (IL-8) both in vivo and in vitro. We hypoth...

Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma (ESS) is a hormone sensitive tumor. It is a rare gynecological tumor and is considered to occur more often in pre-menopausal women. A proper pre-operative diagnosis is difficult and confirmed in most cases after hysterectomy for a presumed benign disease. Endometrial sampling, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging can provide diagnostic clues. For early disease ...

This article reviews the effects of estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P) and P receptor antagonists (PA) on the rhesus macaque endometrium. Ovariectomized macaques can be treated with implants of estradiol (E(2)) and P to induce precisely controlled, artificial menstrual cycles. During these cycles, treatment with E(2) alone induces an artificial proliferative phase marked by extensive endometria...

BACKGROUND The animal models of endometriosis could be a valuable alternative tool for clarifying the etiology of endometriosis. OBJECTIVE In this study two endometriosis models at the morphological and molecular levels was evaluated and compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS The human endometrial tissues were cut into small fragments then they were randomly considered for transplantation into γ i...

Ovarian endometriosis is a recognized risk for infertility and epithelial ovarian cancer, presumably due to iron overload resulting from repeated hemorrhage. To find a clue for early detection and prevention of ovarian endometriosis-associated cancer, it is mandatory to evaluate catalytic (labile) ferrous iron (catalytic Fe(II)) and to study iron manipulation in ovarian endometriotic lesions. B...

Human endometrium decidualization, which involves endometrial stromal proliferation and differentiation, is a prerequisite for embryo implantation, thus successful pregnancy. The Forkhead Box M1 (FoxM1), previously known as HNF-3, HFH-11, MPP2, Win, and Trident, is a transcriptional factor that plays crucial roles in cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. However, the molecular mechanis...

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP), a potent vasorelaxant, are present and synthesized in human endometrium. The production of these vasoactive peptides in stromal cells of the human endometrium is modulated by sex steroid hormones. In addition, neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (also called enkephalinase), which degrades ET-1, is expressed...

Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) are G protein-coupled receptors activated by various proteinases. PARs play important roles in haemostasis, thrombosis, and inflammation. PAR1 and PAR2 are expressed in endometrial cells from the eutopic endometrium and endometriotic cells derived from endometriotic lesions. A typical activator of PAR1, thrombin, and a typical activator of PAR2, tryptase, a...

Candidate stem/progenitor cells have been identified in mouse endometrium as label-retaining cells (LRCs). The role of endometrial stem/progenitor cells in initiating estrogen-stimulated endometrial growth in prepubertal and cycling mice was investigated following a single 17β-estradiol (E2) injection in bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled and -chased (LRC), ovariectomised mice. Proliferating (Brd...