Abstract
Proposed hypothetical causes of endometriosis include retrograde menstruation, lymphatic and vascular metastasis, iatrogenic direct implantation, coelomic metaplasia, embryonic rest, and mesenchymal cell differentiation (induction). Each theory, individually, fails to account for all types of endometriotic lesions, thereby implicating combined and/or type-specific mechanisms. Recent evidence supports the presence of endometrial stem/progenitor cells and their possible involvement in eutopic endometrial regeneration and differentiation. Thus an additional novel mechanism for the origin of endometriotic lesions is that they arise from ectopic endometrial stem/progenitor cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2754-2763 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Bioscience - Elite |
| Volume | 4 E |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Jun 1 |
Keywords
- Bone Marrow
- Endometriosis
- Endometrium
- Endothelial Cells
- Endothelial Progenitor Cells
- Implantation
- Metaplasia
- Pathogenesis
- Progenitor Cells
- Regeneration
- Review
- Stem
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)