AUTHOR=Chung Monica S. , Han Sang Jun 

TITLE=Endometriosis-Associated Angiogenesis and Anti-angiogenic Therapy for Endometriosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Global Women's Health

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/global-womens-health/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.856316

DOI=10.3389/fgwh.2022.856316

ISSN=2673-5059

ABSTRACT=Endometriosis is a known estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease affecting reproductive-aged women. Common symptoms include pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, heavy menstrual bleeding, and infertility. The exact etiology of endometriosis is largely unknown, and, thus, the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis are challenging. Most of the current endometriosis treatment is hormonal therapy due to the essential role of estrogen in endometriosis progression. However, hormonal therapy does not effectively suppress the endometriosis progression but causes adverse effects on estrogen-target tissues, such as bone and brain, in endometriosis patients. Therefore, the need for alternative endometriosis therapy is highly demanded. A complex interplay of many molecular mechanisms is thought to aid in the progression of endometriosis, most notably angiogenesis. This mini-review examines our current knowledge of the molecular etiology of endometriosis-associated angiogenesis and discusses antiangiogenic therapy, in the blockade of endometriosis-associated angiogenesis, as potential non-hormonal therapy for the treatment of endometriosis.