Exosomes and their cargo are important regulators of cell function in endometriosis

Shay Freger, Shay M. Freger, Mathew Leonardi, Lauren Foster, Warren George Foster
Reproductive BioMedicine Online · 2021 · vol. 43(3) , pp. 370–378 · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2021.05.022 · PMID:34272164 · W3170191620
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This review examines exosomes and their molecular cargo as key regulators of cellular function within the context of endometriosis.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic oestrogen-dependent gynaecological disorder characterized by non-menstrual pelvic pain, infertility and the extrauterine growth of endometrial-like glands and stroma. It has been noted that the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis is functionally distinct from that of women without endometriosis. Moreover, ectopic endometrial implants are functionally different from the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis. However, the mechanisms directing these differences are ill-defined. It is proposed here that small membrane-bound extracellular vesicles called exosomes are important vehicles in the protection and transport of signalling molecules central to the dysregulation of endometrial function in women with endometriosis. Therefore, a critical review of the literature linking exosomes and their cargo to the pathobiology of endometriosis was conducted. Circulating peritoneal fluid and endometrial cell exosomes contained long non-coding RNA, miRNA and proteins involved in histone modification, angiogenesis and immune modulation that differed significantly in women with endometriosis compared with controls. Moreover, experimental evidence supports a role for exosomes and their cargo in angiogenesis, neurogenesis, immune modulation and endometrial stromal cell invasion. It is therefore suggested that exosomes play an important role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometrium Exosomes Peritoneal Diseases Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometrium Endometrium Epithelial Cells Epithelial Cells Exosomes Exosomes Female Humans Immune System Immune System MicroRNAs MicroRNAs

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.

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Cited by (18)

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