Kim Ju Hee, Kim Sung Hoon
Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Korea.
Dev Reprod. 2020 Jun;24(2):71-78. doi: 10.12717/DR.2020.24.2.71. Epub 2020 Jun 30.
Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disease, worldwide, whose true prevalence is uncertain because it is a difficult disease to diagnose. Endometriosis is a common cause of chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility, and is also associated with ovarian cancer. Although the risk factors for endometriosis are unclear, there is increasing evidence that exposure to environmental contaminants, especially phthalates, could affect the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Phthalates are industrial chemicals, used to make flexible plastics, and are present in numerous common plastic products, including medical devices and materials. Several studies have suggested a positive association between exposure to phthalate, or phthalate metabolites, and the risk of endometriosis. Since the 2000s, studies based on human plasma and urinary concentrations of various phthalate metabolites have been published, but there are still limitations to our understanding of the pathophysiology of phthalates and endometriosis. This report aims to review the current state of knowledge about a possible role of phthalates in the pathogenesis of endometriosis based on cell culture, animal models, and human data.
子宫内膜异位症是一种在全球范围内常见的妇科疾病，由于其诊断困难，其真实患病率尚不确定。子宫内膜异位症是慢性盆腔疼痛、痛经和不孕的常见原因，还与卵巢癌有关。虽然子宫内膜异位症的危险因素尚不清楚，但越来越多的证据表明，接触环境污染物，尤其是邻苯二甲酸盐，可能会影响子宫内膜异位症的发病机制。邻苯二甲酸盐是工业化学品，用于制造软质塑料，存在于众多常见塑料制品中，包括医疗设备和材料。几项研究表明，接触邻苯二甲酸盐或其代谢物与子宫内膜异位症风险之间存在正相关。自21世纪以来，已经发表了基于人体血浆和尿液中各种邻苯二甲酸盐代谢物浓度的研究，但我们对邻苯二甲酸盐和子宫内膜异位症病理生理学的理解仍存在局限性。本报告旨在基于细胞培养、动物模型和人类数据，综述目前关于邻苯二甲酸盐在子宫内膜异位症发病机制中可能作用的知识状态。
