title: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha: A promising therapeutic target in endometriosis.
abstract: Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disease defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial tissues on the ovaries and pelvic peritoneum, and it is a significant cause of pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility of women in their reproductive age. However, the etiology of endometriosis remains obscure. In recent years, a growing body of evidence validated that hypoxia developed a close relationship with endometriosis and the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) was increased significantly in the development of endometriosis. Furthermore, inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α contributed to suppress endometriosis progression, suggesting HIF-1α plays a critical function in endometriosis. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which HIF-1α associates with endometriosis are still undefined. In this brief review, we had a general understanding of HIF-1α firstly, and then we tried to sum up the collective knowledge of HIF-1α in endometriosis. Finally, we will discuss kinds of novel therapeutic approaches to endometriosis based on the functions of HIF-1α.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China.
authors.forename: Wenyan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China.
authors.forename: Enxue
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 678 Fu Rong Road, Hefei 230601, China. Electronic address: 937012354@qq.com.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
chemical_list: D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
keywords: Endometriosis; Etiology; Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha; Promising; Therapeutic target