Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis?
1
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
2
Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
3
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guro Hospital, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul 08318, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(15), 3822; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20153822
Received: 25 June 2019
/
Revised: 30 July 2019
/
Accepted: 1 August 2019
/
Published: 5 August 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Pathophysiology of Uterine and Ovarian Diseases and Dysfunction)
In the healthy endometrium, progesterone and estrogen signaling coordinate in a tightly regulated, dynamic interplay to drive a normal menstrual cycle and promote an embryo-receptive state to allow implantation during the window of receptivity. It is well-established that progesterone and estrogen act primarily through their cognate receptors to set off cascades of signaling pathways and enact large-scale gene expression programs. In endometriosis, when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterine cavity, progesterone and estrogen signaling are disrupted, commonly resulting in progesterone resistance and estrogen dominance. This hormone imbalance leads to heightened inflammation and may also increase the pelvic pain of the disease and decrease endometrial receptivity to embryo implantation. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing progesterone and estrogen signaling supporting endometrial function and how they become dysregulated in endometriosis. Understanding how these mechanisms contribute to the pelvic pain and infertility associated with endometriosis will open new avenues of targeted medical therapies to give relief to the millions of women suffering its effects.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
progesterone; estrogen; endometrium; infertility; endometriosis; progesterone resistance
▼
Show Figures
Graphical abstract
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Marquardt, R.M.; Kim, T.H.; Shin, J.-H.; Jeong, J.-W. Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis? Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 3822. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20153822
AMA Style
Marquardt RM, Kim TH, Shin J-H, Jeong J-W. Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis? International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019; 20(15):3822. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20153822
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarquardt, Ryan M., Tae H. Kim, Jung-Ho Shin, and Jae-Wook Jeong. 2019. "Progesterone and Estrogen Signaling in the Endometrium: What Goes Wrong in Endometriosis?" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 15: 3822. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20153822
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
