Endometriosis and Oxidative-Antioxidative Imbalance Status. The Role of Flavonoids, Curcumin and N-Acetylcysteine

Abstract

Endometriosis is a silent, unseen and painful female illness which is characterized by the presence of glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Approximately one in ten women in a reproductive age around the world suffer from endometriosis of whom nearly half is treated due to infertility. The pathogenesis and mechanisms that determines the occurence of the disease are still unknown. Immunological factors have been observed in the initiation and development of endometriosis. An imbalance between reactive oxygen species (molecules having an unpaired electron) and antioxidants leads to the upregulation of metalloproteinases, prostaglandins, cytokines and chemokines.