Relationship between endometrial stem/progenitor cells and gynecological diseases

The existence of stem/progenitor cells in the endometrium was postulated many years ago, but the first functional evidence was published in 2004.The study of endometrial stem/progenitor cells had opened up an active field in the subsequent 10 years.Human endometrium has immense regenerative capacity and bilayer structure, in which the upper functionalis is shed at menses and regenerates from the remaining basalis in the subsequent cycle, these characteristics had been the motivation for investigators to identify and characterize endometrial stem/progenitor cell populations.The discovery of specific markers for endometrial stem/progenitor cells has enabled the examination of their role in endometrial proliferative disorders, including endometriosis, adenomyosis and Asherman's syndrome. Key words: Stem/progenitor cells; Endometrium; Gynaecological disease