Targeting Oxidative Stress Involved in Endometriosis and Its Pain

Lauren Clower, Taylor Fleshman, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Nalini Santanam
Biomolecules · 2022 · vol. 12(8) , pp. 1055 · doi:10.3390/biom12081055 · PMID:36008949 · W4289110519
review OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 58 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This review evaluates how oxidative stress contributes to endometriosis pathology and pain, identifying dysregulated iron metabolism, inflammation, and cellular processes, while exploring potential antioxidant treatments.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder seen in women and is characterized by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. This disorder is becoming more prevalent with increased morbidity. The etiology of endometriosis remains to be fully elucidated, which will lead to improved therapeutic options. In this review, we will evaluate the biochemical mechanisms leading to oxidative stress and their implication in the pathophysiology of endometriosis, as well as potential treatments that target these processes. A comprehensive exploration of previous research revealed that endometriosis is associated with elevated reactive oxygen species and oxidation products, decreased antioxidants and detoxification enzymes, and dysregulated iron metabolism. High levels of oxidative stress contributed to inflammation, extracellular matrix degradation, angiogenesis, and cell proliferation, which may explain its role in endometriosis. Endometriosis-associated pain was attributed to neurogenic inflammation and a feed-forward mechanism involving macrophages, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and pain-inducing prostaglandins. N-acetylcysteine, curcumin, melatonin, and combined vitamin C and E supplementation displayed promising results for the treatment of endometriosis, but further research is needed for their use in this population.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosischronic_pelvic_paininfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Antioxidants Antioxidants Antioxidants Antioxidants Antioxidants Antioxidants Antioxidants

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.

References (100)

Cited by (50)

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