Fertility preservation in women with ovarian endometriosis.

Endometriosis is one of the most frequently encountered benign diseases in gynecology. Complete resolution of endometriosis is not yet possible, but therapy has essentially three main objectives: (1) to preserve and improve fertility, (2) to reduce pain, and (3) to delay recurrence for as long as possible. The aim of this paper is to focus on fertility preservation in women with severe endometriosis.

Peritoneal endometriosis is an inflammatory disease.

Peritoneal endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by increased numbers of peritoneal macrophages and their secreted products. Inflammation plays a major role in pain and infertility associated with endometriosis, but is also extensively involved in the molecular processes that lead to peritoneal lesion development. Peritoneal oxidative stress is currently thought to be a major constituent of the endometriosis-associated inflammatory response.

Insights into iron and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) involvement in chronic inflammatory processes in peritoneal endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic pelvic inflammatory process. Local inflammation is known to play a role in pain and infertility associated with the disease, and may be extensively involved in molecular and cellular processes leading to endometriosis development. In this review, we focus on two inflammatory mediators clearly implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, iron and NF-kappaB, and their potential association.

Inhibition of steroid sulfatase decreases endometriosis in an in vivo murine model.

Background: Steroid sulfatase (STS) is involved in estrogen biosynthesis and expressed in eutopic and ectopic endometrium of disease-free and endometriosis patients. The present study was designed to investigate its role in endometriosis development.

Methods: Human endometrial explants were cultured on inserts for 24 h to assess the effectiveness of an STS inhibitor (STS-I), estradiol-3-O-sulfamate (E2MATE), on STS activity in endometrial tissue.

Involvement of the nuclear factor-κB pathway in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Objective: To evaluate the role of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Design: A literature search was conducted in PubMed to identify all relevant citations.

Result(s): Our findings highlight the important role of NF-κB in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.