The role of endometrial stem cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and their application to its early diagnosis†

Yanli Liu, Zhiqin Zhang, Fen Yang, Hongmei Wang, Shengying Liang, Huiling Wang, Jun Yang, Juntang Lin
Biology of reproduction · 2020 · vol. 102(6) , pp. 1153–1159 · doi:10.1093/biolre/ioaa011 · PMID:31965165 · W3001492301
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Dysfunctional eutopic endometrial stem cells are hypothesized to initiate endometriosis, and targeting these cells offers potential for early diagnosis and treatment.

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Abstract

Pelvic pain, infertility, and a high postoperative recurrence rate are associated with endometriosis and adversely affect the physical and mental health of patients. Moreover, these factors place a heavy burden on families and society. The identification of endometrial stem cells (EnSCs) in the eutopic endometrium, menstrual blood, and ectopic lesions of women with endometriosis not only provides new research objects in the context of endometriosis but also promotes and improves our understanding of its pathogenesis. Furthermore, based on previous studies, we reasonably suppose that dysfunctions of eutopic EnSCs play a critical role in the onset of endometriosis and directly cause abnormalities in the endometrium; subsequently, retrograde menstruation facilitates the delivery of abnormal endometrial tissues to the ovaries and pelvic cavity, where they ectopically implant, grow, and form ectopic lesions. Additionally, as a chronically progressive disease, there is a delay (3-11 years) from the first onset of symptoms to the diagnosis of endometriosis. Therefore, the development of a method for early diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity is essential for endometriosis patients and has the potential to enable early treatment, prevent endometriosis progression, and relieve pain in patients. Thus, focusing on EnSCs will contribute to clarifying the potential pathogenesis of endometriosis and provide support for the application of EnSCs as therapeutic and early diagnostic targets in endometriosis treatment. SUMMARY SENTENCE: Focusing on endometrial stem cells (EnSCs) will contribute to clarifying the potential pathogenesis of endometriosis and provide support for the application of EnSCs as therapeutic and early diagnostic targets in endometriosis treatment.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Stem Cells Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Female Humans Stem 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 (76)

Cited by (28)

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