Macrophage-derived insulin-like growth factor-1 is a key neurotrophic and nerve-sensitizing factor in pain associated with endometriosis.

ABSTRACT: Endometriosis is a common incurable inflammatory disorder that is associated with debilitating pelvic pain in women. Macrophages are central to the pathophysiology of endometriosis: they dictate the growth and vascularization of endometriosis lesions and more recently have been shown to promote lesion innervation. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanistic role of macrophages in producing pain associated with endometriosis. Herein, we show that macrophage depletion in a mouse model of endometriosis can reverse abnormal changes in pain behavior. We identified that disease-modified macrophages exhibit increased expression of IGF-1 in an in vitro model of endometriosis-associated macrophages and confirmed expression by lesion-resident macrophages in mice and women. Concentr

SUBMITTER: Forster R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6766660 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature