Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage
Endometriosis, a common cause of pelvic pain and female infertility, depends on the growth of vascularised endometrial tissue at ectopic sites. Endometrial fragments reach the peritoneal cavity during the fertile years: local cues decide whether they yield endometriotic lesions. Macrophages are re...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fimmu.2013.00009/full |
| _version_ | 1818262897863688192 |
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| author | Annalisa eCapobianco Patrizia eRovere Querini |
| author_facet | Annalisa eCapobianco Patrizia eRovere Querini |
| author_sort | Annalisa eCapobianco |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Endometriosis, a common cause of pelvic pain and female infertility, depends on the growth of vascularised endometrial tissue at ectopic sites. Endometrial fragments reach the peritoneal cavity during the fertile years: local cues decide whether they yield endometriotic lesions. Macrophages are recruited at sites of hypoxia and tissue stress, where they clear cell debris and heme-iron and generate pro-life and pro-angiogenesis signals. Macrophages are abundant in endometriotic lesions, where are recruited and undergo alternative activation. In rodents macrophages are required for lesions to establish and to grow; bone-marrow derived Tie-2 expressing macrophages specifically contribute to lesions neovasculature, possibly because they concur to the recruitment of circulating endothelial progenitors, and sustain their survival and the integrity of the vessel wall. Macrophages sense cues (hypoxia, cell death, iron overload) in the lesions and react delivering signals to restore the local homeostasis: their action represents a necessary, non-redundant step in the natural history of the disease. Endometriosis may be due to a misperception of macrophages about ectopic endometrial tissue. They perceive it as a wound, they activate programs leading to ectopic cell survival and tissue vascularization. Clearing this misperception is a critical area for the development of novel medical treatments of endometriosis, an urgent and unmet medical need. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:10:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8245d2bb6ff4477c8f75aac8b6ae79f7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-3224 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:10:26Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Immunology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8245d2bb6ff4477c8f75aac8b6ae79f72022-12-22T00:14:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Immunology1664-32242013-01-01410.3389/fimmu.2013.0000938169Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophageAnnalisa eCapobianco0Patrizia eRovere Querini1San Raffaele Scientific InstituteSan Raffaele Scientific InstituteEndometriosis, a common cause of pelvic pain and female infertility, depends on the growth of vascularised endometrial tissue at ectopic sites. Endometrial fragments reach the peritoneal cavity during the fertile years: local cues decide whether they yield endometriotic lesions. Macrophages are recruited at sites of hypoxia and tissue stress, where they clear cell debris and heme-iron and generate pro-life and pro-angiogenesis signals. Macrophages are abundant in endometriotic lesions, where are recruited and undergo alternative activation. In rodents macrophages are required for lesions to establish and to grow; bone-marrow derived Tie-2 expressing macrophages specifically contribute to lesions neovasculature, possibly because they concur to the recruitment of circulating endothelial progenitors, and sustain their survival and the integrity of the vessel wall. Macrophages sense cues (hypoxia, cell death, iron overload) in the lesions and react delivering signals to restore the local homeostasis: their action represents a necessary, non-redundant step in the natural history of the disease. Endometriosis may be due to a misperception of macrophages about ectopic endometrial tissue. They perceive it as a wound, they activate programs leading to ectopic cell survival and tissue vascularization. Clearing this misperception is a critical area for the development of novel medical treatments of endometriosis, an urgent and unmet medical need.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fimmu.2013.00009/fullEndometriosisIronPhagocytosishypoxiaAngiogenesisalternatively activated macrophages |
| spellingShingle | Annalisa eCapobianco Patrizia eRovere Querini Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage Frontiers in Immunology Endometriosis Iron Phagocytosis hypoxia Angiogenesis alternatively activated macrophages |
| title | Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage |
| title_full | Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage |
| title_fullStr | Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage |
| title_short | Endometriosis, a disease of the macrophage |
| title_sort | endometriosis a disease of the macrophage |
| topic | Endometriosis Iron Phagocytosis hypoxia Angiogenesis alternatively activated macrophages |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fimmu.2013.00009/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annalisaecapobianco endometriosisadiseaseofthemacrophage AT patriziaeroverequerini endometriosisadiseaseofthemacrophage |