Ulukus Murat
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ege University School of Medicine, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
Womens Health (Lond). 2015 Aug;11(5):587-95. doi: 10.2217/whe.15.43. Epub 2015 Aug 28.
Endometriosis is a common chronic gynecological disease that is classically defined by the presence of endometrial stromal and glandular tissues outside the uterine cavity. Pelvic pain and infertility are the nonspecific but the most common symptoms of the disease; however, no currently definitive treatment has been developed since its pathogenesis has not been completely understood. Currently, none of the proposed conventional theories can explain all aspects of endometriosis. Recent evidence supports the presence of endometrial stem/progenitor cells and their possible involvement in endometrial regeneration and differentiation. The stem cell theory is a new hypothesis which may clarify the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of endometriosis. However, this theory could not only account for an alternative pathogenic mechanism of endometriosis but could also be involved in all conventional theories. This article will review the evidence for the presence of endometrial stem/progenitor cells, their possible sources and their possible involvement in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.
子宫内膜异位症是一种常见的慢性妇科疾病，其经典定义为子宫腔外存在子宫内膜间质和腺组织。盆腔疼痛和不孕是该疾病非特异性但最常见的症状；然而，由于其发病机制尚未完全明确，目前尚未开发出明确的治疗方法。目前，所提出的传统理论均无法解释子宫内膜异位症的所有方面。最近的证据支持子宫内膜干/祖细胞的存在及其可能参与子宫内膜的再生和分化。干细胞理论是一种新的假说，可能阐明子宫内膜异位症潜在的病理生理机制。然而，该理论不仅可以解释子宫内膜异位症的另一种致病机制，还可能与所有传统理论相关。本文将综述子宫内膜干/祖细胞存在的证据、其可能的来源以及它们可能参与子宫内膜异位症发病机制的情况。
