NEUROENDOCRINE-IMMUNE DESEQUILIBIRIUM AND ENDOMETRIOSIS: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

NADJA TARIVERDIAN; THEOHARIS C. THEOHARIDES,; FRIEDERIKE SIEDENTOPF,; GABRIELA GUTIÉRREZ,; UDO JESCHKE,; GABRIEL A. RABINOVICH,; SANDRA M. BLOIS; PETRA C. ARCK

SEMINARS IMMUNOPATHOLOGY

Springer

Lugar: Berlin ; Año: 2007 vol. 29 p. 193 - 210

1863-2297

Endometriosis, a chronic disease characterized by endometrial tissue located outside the uterine cavity, affects one fourth of young women and is associated with chronic pelvic pain and infertility. However, an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiology and effective treatment strategies of endometriosis is still largely elusive. Inadequate immune and neuroendocrine responses are significantly involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis, and key findings are summarized in the present review. We discuss here the role of different immune mechanisms particularly adhesion molecules, proteinglycan interactions, and pro-angiogenic mediators in the development and progression of the disease. Finally, we introduce the concept of endometrial dissemination as result of a neuroendocrine-immune disequilibrium in response to high levels of perceived stress caused by cardinal clinical symptoms of endometriosis.29(2):193-210