Abstract:

The etiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of endometriosis (EMs) include endocrine, genetic, immune and environmental factors. Environmental pollution can lead to the accumulation of a large number of heavy metal elements, such as iron, nickel and cadmium, in water, soil and air. If women were exposed to this kind of environment, a lot of these heavy metals could enter into their bodies. After that, these heavy metals were combined with some organic compounds in body to form the metallic integration or metal-protein complex that promote the production of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many studies have showed that ROS promotes the proliferation of endometrial cells and the invasion of ectopic lesions by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and aggravating oxidative stress. Some heavy metals, such as cadmium and nickel, can specifically bind with estrogen receptor (ER) in the body, by which the estrogen-like effects were induced so as to interfere with endocrine and metabolism, and to increase the risk of EMs in women. This paper reviews the correlation between the environmental heavy metal exposure and the pathophysiological mechanism of EMs, as well as the research progress, as to add a new reference for us to explore the etiology and pathophysiology of EMs.

Key words: Metals, heavy, Endometriosis, Environmental pollution, Oxidative stress, Iron, Nickel, Cadmium