SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1638604
The role of TGF-β superfamily in endometriosis: a systematic review
Provisionally accepted
- Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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Endometriosis is a prevalent chronic gynecological disorder. Globally, endometriosis affects approximately 5-10% of women of reproductive age, leading to symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. It is associated with increased local inflammation, elevated estrogen production, and scar tissue and adhesion formation, potentially resulting in severe complications such as chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, bowel dysfunction, and in some cases, endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. While the precise etiology of endometriosis remains unclear, various etiological theories have been suggested to explain the condition's development. Recent research has focused on the TGF-β superfamily, which regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and immune modulation, and is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. This review provides a comprehensive examination of TGF-β superfamily in endometriotic lesions by PubMed and Web of Science database retrieval until April 30, 2025. It contributes not only to the adhesion, invasion, and proliferation of ectopic endometrial cells but also to the mediation of fibrosis, immune modulation, and angiogenesis within endometriotic lesions. Considering the parallels between endometriosis and malignant processes, including local invasion and abnormal tissue growth, analyzing the TGF-β-mediated mechanisms offers new insights into disease progression and its oncological parallels. Exploration of TGF-β-dependent biomarkers and targeted inhibitors holds potential in advancing more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It is expected to pave the way for innovative, targeted therapeutic strategies aimed at managing endometriosis, reducing recurrence rates, and enhancing the quality of life for affected women.
Keywords: TGF-β superfamily, Endometriosis, Signal Transduction, Gene Expression, epigenetics
Received: 31 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Li, Lin, Lin and Ji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: He Lin, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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