Neurogenic Inflammation in the Context of Endometriosis—What Do We Know?

Renata Voltolini Velho, Eliane Taube, Eliane T. Taube, Jalid Sehouli, Sylvia Mechsner
International journal of molecular sciences · 2021 · vol. 22(23) , pp. 13102 · doi:10.3390/ijms222313102 · PMID:34884907 · W4200199913
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Peripheral sensory nerves innervating endometriotic lesions drive pain and lesion growth by secreting neurotrophic factors and interacting with immune cells.

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Abstract

Endometriosis (EM) is an estrogen-dependent disease characterized by the presence of epithelial, stromal, and smooth muscle cells outside the uterine cavity. It is a chronic and debilitating condition affecting ~10% of women. EM is characterized by infertility and pain, such as dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, dysuria, and dyschezia. Although EM was first described in 1860, its aetiology and pathogenesis remain uncertain. Recent evidence demonstrates that the peripheral nervous system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of this disease. Sensory nerves, which surround and innervate endometriotic lesions, not only drive the chronic and debilitating pain associated with EM but also contribute to a growth phenotype by secreting neurotrophic factors and interacting with surrounding immune cells. Here we review the role that peripheral nerves play in driving and maintaining endometriotic lesions. A better understanding of the role of this system, as well as its interactions with immune cells, will unearth novel disease-relevant pathways and targets, providing new therapeutics and better-tailored treatment options.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715mesh:D017699endometriosischronic_pelvic_paindysmenorrheadyspareuniainfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Nerve Growth Factors Neurogenic Inflammation Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Gene Expression Regulation Humans Nerve Growth Factors Neurogenic Inflammation Neurogenic Inflammation Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Sensory Receptor Cells Sensory Receptor Cells

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (36)

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