Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Lubeck, Germany.
Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2009;68(4):217-23. doi: 10.1159/000235871. Epub 2009 Sep 2.
Apoptosis is a physiologic process that eradicates undesired cells without inducing an inflammatory reaction. It is an important regulator of eutopic endometrial function and evidence suggests that apoptosis aids in maintaining cellular homeostasis during the menstrual cycle by eliminating aging cells from the functional layer of the uterine endometrium. Endometriosis, which is characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, could result from increased cellular proliferation or decreased apoptosis in response to appropriate stimuli. Eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis has several differences compared with normal endometrium of women without endometriosis. These differences may contribute to the survival of regurgitated endometrial cells into the peritoneal cavity and thus to the development of endometriosis. In this article, we will summarize recent literature concerning apoptosis-related genes such as Bcl-2 and Fas, outline the molecular basis of apoptosis and review the literature focused on the alterations in regulation of apoptosis in eutopic and ectopic endometrium from women with endometriosis.
细胞凋亡是一种生理性过程，可在不引起炎症反应的情况下消除不需要的细胞。它是正常子宫内膜功能的重要调节因子，有证据表明，细胞凋亡通过从子宫子宫内膜的功能层中消除衰老细胞，有助于在月经周期中维持细胞内稳态。子宫内膜异位症的特征是子宫内膜组织在子宫外生长，可能是由于对适当刺激的细胞增殖增加或细胞凋亡减少所致。与没有子宫内膜异位症的女性的正常子宫内膜相比，患有子宫内膜异位症的女性的在位子宫内膜具有许多差异。这些差异可能有助于反流的子宫内膜细胞在腹腔内的存活，从而导致子宫内膜异位症的发展。在本文中，我们将总结有关凋亡相关基因（如 Bcl-2 和 Fas）的最新文献，概述凋亡的分子基础，并综述有关子宫内膜异位症患者在位和异位子宫内膜中凋亡调控改变的文献。
