Ovarian hormones-autophagy-immunity axis in menstruation and endometriosis.
Menstruation occurs in few species and involves a cyclic process of proliferation, breakdown and regeneration under the control of ovarian hormones. Knowledge of normal endometrial physiology, as it pertains to the regulation of menstruation, is essential to understand disorders of menstruation. Accumulating evidence indicates that autophagy in the endometrium, under the regulation of ovarian hormones, can result in the infiltration of immune cells, which plays an indispensable role in the endometrium shedding, tissue repair and prevention of infections during menstruation. In addition, abnormal autophagy levels, together with resulting dysregulated immune system function, are associated with the pathogenesis and progression of endometriosis. Considering its potential value of autophagy as a target for the treatment of menstrual-related and endometrium-related disorders, we review the activity and function of autophagy during menstrual cycles. The role of the estrogen/progesterone-autophagy-immunity axis in endometriosis are also discussed.
['Shen|Hui-Hui|HH|', 'Zhang|Tao|T|', 'Yang|Hui-Li|HL|', 'Lai|Zhen-Zhen|ZZ|', 'Zhou|Wen-Jie|WJ|', 'Mei|Jie|J|', 'Shi|Jia-Wei|JW|', 'Zhu|Rui|R|', 'Xu|Feng-Yuan|FY|', 'Li|Da-Jin|DJ|', 'Ye|Jiang-Feng|JF|', 'Li|Ming-Qing|MQ|']
D000328:Adult D000071182:Autophagosomes D001343:Autophagy D004715:Endometriosis D004717:Endometrium D004847:Epithelial Cells D004967:Estrogens D005260:Female D005786:Gene Expression Regulation D006801:Humans D007694:Killer Cells, Natural D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System D008264:Macrophages D008598:Menstruation D009504:Neutrophils D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases D011374:Progesterone D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
menstruation autophagy endometrium estrogen NK cell macrophage neutrophil progesterone