Zinc and copper target molecular complexity and revert endometriosis phenotypes being a promising therapy for disease progression and infertility

Current treatments for endometriosis address symptoms rather than causes, are not always effective, and produce side effects. We used a computer-based approach to compare gene expression in healthy endometrial tissue and in endometrial tissue affected by endometriosis. This helped us identify which genes may be involved in the disease and which existing drugs might be worth testing as possible treatments. We found that endometriosis disease and infertility-associated genes share similarities, suggesting that both conditions may have similar underlying causes. We looked for existing drugs and compounds that might target those underlying causes more effectively than current treatments. We found that zinc and copper might be promising treatments for endometriosis because they may target the disease's underlying causes. Since these drugs are already used for other purposes, repurposing them may reduce the time and cost of clinical trials.