Aromatase and endometriosis: estrogens play a role

Simone Ferrero, Valentino Remorgida, Carlo Maganza, C. Maganza, Pier Luigi Venturini, Stefano Salvatore, Enrico Papaleo, Massimo Candiani, Umberto Leone Roberti Maggiore
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2014 · vol. 1317(1) , pp. 17–23 · doi:10.1111/nyas.12411 · PMID:24738993 · W1575712003
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Aberrant aromatase expression in endometriosis leads to local estrogen production, which drives inflammation and lesion growth, and is partially targeted by aromatase inhibitors for pain management.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease defined by the growth of endometrial stroma and glands outside of the uterus. Epidemiological and clinical studies show that estrogen is essential for the growth of endometriosis. There are several molecular links between estrogen production and inflammation in endometriosis. The enzyme aromatase P450 is expressed aberrantly in endometriosis and is stimulated by prostaglandin E2 , resulting in production of estrogen that induces prostaglandin E2 expression within endometriotic lesions. Furthermore, estrogen promotes the secretion of several inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, which contribute to the progression of endometriosis and stimulate estrogen production. On the basis of the local estrogen biosynthesis in endometriotic implants, nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors have been successfully used to treat pain symptoms caused by endometriosis. These agents do not cause the disappearance of endometriosis; they cannot be considered routine treatment and should only be administered in adequately controlled clinical studies.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Aromatase Endometriosis Estrogens Aromatase Aromatase Inhibitors Aromatase Inhibitors Biosynthetic Pathways Endometriosis Endometriosis Estrogens Female Humans Inflammation Mediators Inflammation Mediators

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 (50)

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