Maurizio N D'Alterio1, Carlotta Giuliani2, Francesco Scicchitano2, Antonio S Laganà3, Noemi M Oltolina3, Felice Sorrentino4, Luigi Nappi4, Germano Orrù5, Stefano Angioni2. 1. Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy - mauridalte84@gmail.com. 2. Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. 3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Filippo del Ponte Hospital, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. 4. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. 5. Molecular Biology Service Lab, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: There is an urgent necessity to explore the complex pathophysiological nature of endometriosis, which may enable the rationale for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to be discovered. This systematic review aimed to clarify the bidirectional relationship between endometriosis and the microbiome and evaluate if the microbiome may be involved in endometriosis's pathogenesis, establishing a potential connection between the different studies. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Studies were identified through a systematic literature search of papers that evaluated the microbiomes of human or other animal species with endometriosis and of those without in the electronic database PubMed/Medline, and Embase without a date restriction. We included all cohort studies focusing on the interaction between endometriosis and the microbiomes of humans or other mammals, evaluating if the microbiome may be involved in endometriosis's pathogenesis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Endometriosis appears to be associated with elevated levels of different microorganisms across various microbiome sites. An ineffective immune response seems to play a key role in endometriosis pathogenesis, and there is some scientific proof to state that the immune response may be modulated by the microbiome. Interestingly, nine studies of our review detected species belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Negativicutes characterized by Gram-negative staining, that were significantly increased in endometriosis cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory and clinical investigations indicate that hosts' microbiome profiles with and without endometriosis can be significantly different. To further our understanding of the relationships between endometriosis and the host microbiome, more studies are necessary.
INTRODUCTION: There is an urgent necessity to explore the complex pathophysiological nature of endometriosis, which may enable the rationale for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to be discovered. This systematic review aimed to clarify the bidirectional relationship between endometriosis and the microbiome and evaluate if the microbiome may be involved in endometriosis's pathogenesis, establishing a potential connection between the different studies. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Studies were identified through a systematic literature search of papers that evaluated the microbiomes of human or other animal species with endometriosis and of those without in the electronic database PubMed/Medline, and Embase without a date restriction. We included all cohort studies focusing on the interaction between endometriosis and the microbiomes of humans or other mammals, evaluating if the microbiome may be involved in endometriosis's pathogenesis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Endometriosis appears to be associated with elevated levels of different microorganisms across various microbiome sites. An ineffective immune response seems to play a key role in endometriosis pathogenesis, and there is some scientific proof to state that the immune response may be modulated by the microbiome. Interestingly, nine studies of our review detected species belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Negativicutes characterized by Gram-negative staining, that were significantly increased in endometriosis cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory and clinical investigations indicate that hosts' microbiome profiles with and without endometriosis can be significantly different. To further our understanding of the relationships between endometriosis and the host microbiome, more studies are necessary.
Authors: Jocelyn M Wessels; Miguel A Domínguez; Nicholas A Leyland; Sanjay K Agarwal; Warren G Foster Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-09-23 Impact factor: 4.379