International journal of molecular sciences

Ovarian cancer is a lethal reproductive tumour affecting women worldwide. The advancement in presentation and occurrence of chemoresistance are the key factors for poor survival among ovarian cancer women. Surgical debulking was the mainsta…

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. Progestins are currently the most commonly used treatment for endometriosis because of their excellent therapeutic eff…

Cervical mucus (CM) is a viscous fluid that is produced by the cervical glands and functions as a uterine cervix plug. Its viscosity decreases during ovulation, providing a window for non-invasive sampling. This study focuses on proteomic c…

Currently, ovarian cancer (OC) is a target of intense biomarkers research because of its frequent late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Serum determination of Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a very important early detection test. Most inte…

This Special Issue, the third dedicated to reproductive immunology and pregnancy, is another review of the latest trends in research topics in this field [...].

The collagen family contains 28 proteins, predominantly expressed in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and characterized by a triple-helix structure. Collagens undergo several maturation steps, including post-translational modifications (PTMs)…

Chronic pain induced by endometriosis is a maladaptive pain experienced by half of women with this disease. The lack of pharmacological treatments suitable for the long-term relief of endometriosis-associated pain, without an impact on fert…

The Golgi associated retrograde protein complex (GARP) is an evolutionarily conserved component of Golgi membrane trafficking machinery that belongs to the Complexes Associated with Tethering Containing Helical Rods (CATCHR) family. Like ot…

In the inflamed uterus, the production and secretion of prostaglandins (PGs) and noradrenergic innervation pattern are changed. Receptor-based control of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and secretion by noradrenaline during uterine infla…

Inflammation is the primary response to infection and injury. Its beneficial effect is an immediate resolution of the pathophysiological event. However, sustained production of inflammatory mediators such as reactive oxygen species and cyto…

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is a pleiotropic growth factor playing various roles in the human body including cell growth and development. More functions of TGF-β1 have been discovered, especially its roles in viral infection.…

The oxytocin receptor (OXTR), encoded by the OXTR gene, is responsible for the signal transduction after binding its ligand, oxytocin. Although this signaling is primarily involved in controlling maternal behavior, it was demonstrated that …

Adenomyosis is defined as the development of endometrial epithelial glands and stroma within the myometrial layer of the uterus. These "ectopic" lesions share many cellular characteristics with endometriotic epithelial cells as well as endo…

S100A6, also known as calcyclin, is a calcium-binding protein belonging to the S100 protein family. It was first identified and purified more than 30 years ago. Initial structural studies, focused mostly on the mode and affinity of Ca2+ bin…

Synchronized crosstalk between the embryo and endometrium during the periconception period is integral to pregnancy establishment. Increasing evidence suggests that the exchange of extracellular vesicles (EVs) of both embryonic and endometr…

Immune checkpoints (ICPs) serve as regulatory switches on immune-competent cells. Soluble ICPs consist of fragments derived from ICP molecules typically located on cell membranes. Research has demonstrated that they perform similar function…

Personalized medicine has become a new paradigm in the management of a variety of diseases [...].

The evaluation of morpho-functional sperm characteristics alone is not enough to explain infertility or to predict the outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART): more sensitive diagnostic tools are needed in clinical practice. The…

Lipidomics is a comprehensive study of all lipid components in living cells, serum, plasma, or tissues, with the aim of discovering diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers for diseases such as malignant tumors. This systematic rev…

Sulfated polysaccharides of brown algae, fucoidans, are known for their anticoagulant properties, similar to animal heparin. Their complex and irregular structure is the main bottleneck in standardization and in defining the relationship be…

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease associated with infertility and metabolic disorders in reproductive-aged women. In this study, we evaluated the expression of eight genes related to endometrial function and their DNA…

The prevalence of infertility is getting higher over the years. The increasing age of first-time parents, although economically more desirable, can cause various biological problems from low natural conception rate to poor pregnancy outcome…

The molecular pathogenesis of endometriosis has been associated with pathological alterations of protein expression via disturbances in homeostatic genes, miRNA expression profiles, and signaling pathways that play an essential role in the …

tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are derived from tRNA and include tRNA halves (tiRNAs) and tRNA fragments (tRFs). tsRNAs have been implicated in a variety of important biological functions, such as cell growth, transcriptional regulation, …

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between lactoferrin and iron and its binding proteins in women with endometriosis by simultaneously measuring these parameters in plasma and peritoneal fluid. Ninety women were evalu…