Abstract
There is increasing interest in the potential of natural compounds to treat diseases, such as endometriosis, a gynecological disorder that affects 10–15% of women of reproductive age, and it is related to severe pelvic pain and infertility. We have evaluated the in vitro effects of rutin and the aqueous bark, roots, and leaf extracts (ABE, ARE, and ALE, respectively) and isolated components of Uncaria guianensis on stromal cells from eutopic endometrium and lesions of patients with endometriosis. Two- and three-dimensional cultures were used to assess the cell death and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytokines and growth factors of cells following exposure to these natural products. The applied treatments did not reduce cellular viability, but ROS production did increase. In addition, significant increases in the levels of interleukin (IL)-15, IL-17A, IL-4, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and vascular endothelium growth factor were observed when 2D-cells from endometrium of patients with endometriosis were treated with ABE, while exposure to ALE induced significant increases in epidermal growth factor in lesion cells.
Highlights
Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that affects 10–15% of women of reproductive age, with up to 70% of patients reporting pelvic pain and 48% presenting infertility [1,2]
We have evaluated the effects of rutin, aqueous extracts of U. guianensis, and the purified active principles on endometrium-derived and lesion-derived stromal cells collected from patients with endometriosis in order to test the hypothesis that these natural products would improve the levels of biomarkers of pain, oxidative stress and inflammation associated with this disorder
The peritoneal cavity of patients with endometriosis is a proactive environment with a high capacity for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and this may contribute to the maintenance of oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction associated with the disease [24]
Summary
Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that affects 10–15% of women of reproductive age, with up to 70% of patients reporting pelvic pain and 48% presenting infertility [1,2]. The condition has been known since the 17th century and has received considerable research effort over the past 30 years, the pathogenesis of the disease is not yet clear [5,6]. It is known that factors like anatomical, genetic, Molecules 2020, 25, 1325; doi:10.3390/molecules25061325 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules. The disorder is often associated with dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, acyclic pelvic pain, and infertility [12,13,14], symptoms that can be debilitating and affect quality of life [15]. The treatment of endometriosis aims to alleviate pelvic pain and restore fertility, and may involve drug therapy or surgery depending on the clinical characteristics of the patient and the disease
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