Yadav Suresh Singh, Nair Rohini Ravindran
Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, Punjab, India.
Department of Medical Biotechnology, Gujrat Biotechnology University, Gandhinagar, 382355, Gujrat, India.
Reprod Sci. 2025 May 13. doi: 10.1007/s43032-025-01875-x.
Endometriosis is a disease where vascularised tissue similar to endometrium (the lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus. Its pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of inflammation, angiogenesis, cellular proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, altered energy metabolism, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).Even though endometriosis was described more than 150 years ago, we have been unable to find its effective therapy. Conservative treatment approaches like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or hormone therapy are available to date for the treatment of endometriosis. Anti-angiogenic inhibitors and immunomodulators like IFN-α, β, and TNF-α inhibitors are also potential treatment options. These treatments are inadequate as they either affect the symptoms only of endometriosis or target only one pathological pathway involved. Surgical excision of the endometriotic lesion is also possible, however, recurrence of the disease is reported in several cases. A single therapeutic agent targeting several pathological processes in endometriosis would always be a better option. Here we present our perspective on the pharmacological potential of Ethyl pyruvate and also propose it as a promising therapeutic agent for endometriosis as it inhibits inflammation, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, aerobic glycolysis, EMT, and ROS activity together.
子宫内膜异位症是一种血管化组织在子宫外生长，且类似于子宫内膜（子宫内层）的疾病。其发病机制涉及炎症、血管生成、细胞增殖、活性氧（ROS）产生、能量代谢改变以及上皮-间质转化（EMT）等复杂的相互作用。尽管子宫内膜异位症在150多年前就已被描述，但我们至今仍未能找到其有效治疗方法。迄今为止，保守治疗方法如非甾体抗炎药或激素疗法可用于治疗子宫内膜异位症。抗血管生成抑制剂和免疫调节剂如IFN-α、β和TNF-α抑制剂也是潜在的治疗选择。这些治疗方法并不充分，因为它们要么仅影响子宫内膜异位症的症状，要么仅针对所涉及的一种病理途径。手术切除子宫内膜异位病变也是可行的，然而，有几例病例报告了该疾病的复发。针对子宫内膜异位症多种病理过程的单一治疗药物始终是更好的选择。在此，我们阐述了丙酮酸乙酯的药理学潜力，并提出它作为一种有前景的治疗子宫内膜异位症的药物，因为它能同时抑制炎症、细胞增殖、血管生成、有氧糖酵解、EMT和ROS活性。
