Constant Activation of STAT3 Contributes to the Development of Adenomyosis in Females

Takehiro Hiraoka, Yasushi Hirota, Shizu Aikawa, Rei Iida, Chihiro Ishizawa, Tetsuaki Kaku, Tomoyuki Hirata, Yamato Fukui, Shun Akaeda, Mitsunori Matsuo, Ryoko Shimizu‐Hirota, Ryoko Shimizu-Hirota, Norihiko Takeda, Yutaka Osuga
Endocrinology · 2022 · vol. 163(5) · doi:10.1210/endocr/bqac044 · PMID:35380652 · W4225101495
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 10 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Constant activation of STAT3 in the endometrium, observed in both mouse models and human samples, drives the development of adenomyosis.

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Abstract

Adenomyosis is a benign uterine disease that causes dysmenorrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, and infertility; however, its pathophysiology remains unclear. Since signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is crucial for endometrial regeneration, we hypothesized that STAT3 participates in adenomyosis pathophysiology. To investigate the influence of STAT3 on adenomyosis development, this study was performed using a novel mouse model of adenomyosis and human specimens of eutopic endometria and adenomyosis lesions. We established a novel mouse model of adenomyosis by puncturing entire mouse uterine layers with a thin needle. Mouse eutopic and ectopic endometria showed a positive immunoreactivity for phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3), the active form of STAT3. Decreased numbers of adenomyotic lesions and reduced expression of Cxcl1, Icam1, and Spp1, which are associated with immune cell chemotaxis and tissue regeneration, were observed in uterine Stat3-deficient mice compared with the controls. In humans, pSTAT3 was intensely expressed at both the eutopic endometrium and the adenomyotic lesions regardless of the menstrual cycle phases. Conversely, it was limitedly expressed in the eutopic endometrium during the menstrual and proliferative phases in women without adenomyosis. Our findings indicate that continuous STAT3 activation promotes adenomyosis development. STAT3 inhibition can be a promising treatment strategy in patients with adenomyosis.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715adenomyosisdysmenorrheainfertility

MeSH descriptors

Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Uterine Diseases Uterine Diseases Uterine Diseases Uterine Diseases

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