Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Mar 31;21(7):2440.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21072440.

Curcumin and Endometriosis

Alexandre Vallée  1 , Yves Lecarpentier  2
Affiliations
Review

Curcumin and Endometriosis

Alexandre Vallée et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Endometriosis is one of the main common gynecological disorders, which is characterized by the presence of glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Some findings have highlighted the main role of inflammation in endometriosis by acting on proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants, could have a key role in the initiation and progression of endometriosis by resulting in inflammatory responses in the peritoneal cavity. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying this disease are still unclear and therapies are not currently efficient. Curcumin is a major anti-inflammatory agent. Several findings have highlighted the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic properties of curcumin. The purpose of this review is to summarize the potential action of curcumin in endometriosis by acting on inflammation, oxidative stress, invasion and adhesion, apoptosis and angiogenesis.

Keywords: curcumin; endometriosis; inflammation; oxidative stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Burney R.O., Giudice L.C. Pathogenesis and pathophysiology of endometriosis. Fertil. Steril. 2012;98:511–519. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.06.029. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Darling A.M., Chavarro J.E., Malspeis S., Harris H.R., Missmer S.A. A prospective cohort study of Vitamins B, C, E, and multivitamin intake and endometriosis. J. Endometr. 2013;5:17–26. doi: 10.5301/je.5000151. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tariverdian N., Theoharides T.C., Siedentopf F., Gutiérrez G., Jeschke U., Rabinovich G.A., Blois S.M., Arck P.C. Neuroendocrine-immune disequilibrium and endometriosis: An interdisciplinary approach. Semin. Immunopathol. 2007;29:193–210. doi: 10.1007/s00281-007-0077-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vetvicka V., Laganà A.S., Salmeri F.M., Triolo O., Palmara V.I., Vitale S.G., Sofo V., Králíčková M. Regulation of apoptotic pathways during endometriosis: From the molecular basis to the future perspectives. Arch. Gynecol. Obstet. 2016;294:897–904. doi: 10.1007/s00404-016-4195-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Laganà A.S., Vitale S.G., Salmeri F.M., Triolo O., Ban Frangež H., Vrtačnik-Bokal E., Stojanovska L., Apostolopoulos V., Granese R., Sofo V. Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno: A novel, evidence-based, unifying theory for the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Med. Hypotheses. 2017;103:10–20. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2017.03.032. - DOI - PubMed