Endometriosis and the Role of Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in Pathophysiology: A Narrative Review of the Literature

Ioan Emilian Oală, Melinda-Ildiko Mitranovici, Diana Maria Chiorean, Traian Irimia, Andrada Ioana Crișan, Andrada Crișan, Ioana Marta Melinte, Teodora Cotruș, Vlad Tudorache, Liviu Moraru, Raluca Moraru, Laura Caravia, Mihai Morariu, Lucian Pușcașiu
Diagnostics · 2024 · vol. 14(3) , pp. 312 · doi:10.3390/diagnostics14030312 · PMID:38337827 · W4391404098
review OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 36 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review explores how pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines contribute to endometriosis pathophysiology, influencing cell growth, fertility, and offering potential as biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which explains the pain that such patients report. Currently, we are faced with ineffective, non-invasive diagnostic methods and treatments that come with multiple side effects and high recurrence rates for both the disease and pain. These are the reasons why we are exploring the possibility of the involvement of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules in the process of the appearance of endometriosis. Cytokines play an important role in the progression of endometriosis, influencing cell proliferation and differentiation. Pro-inflammatory molecules are found in intrafollicular fluid. They have an impact on the number of mature and optimal-quality oocytes. Endometriosis affects fertility, and the involvement of endometriosis in embryo transfer during in vitro fertilization (IVF) is being investigated in several studies. Furthermore, the reciprocal influence between anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines and their role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis has been assessed. Today, we can affirm that pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play roles in survival, growth, differentiation, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune escape, which provides a perspective for approaching future clinical implications and can be used as biomarkers or therapy.

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endometriosis

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