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Endometriosis discovery takes us one step closer to finding a cure
The debilitating condition was one of the most searched for words in 2018, but its cause has remained a mystery until now.
UK researchers found a type of white blood cell, called macrophages, that has mutated or undergone some change could be the prime cause of endometriosis.
Previous studies have already shown macrophages play a central role in the development of endometriosis.
The immune cells help the lesions grow and also drive the development of their blood supply.
More recent studies have also revealed macrophages help nerves grow in the lesions, which could lead to increased pain around these areas.
The aim of the new study, published in a recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal paper, “was to determine the mechanistic role of macrophages in producing pain associated with endometriosis”.
The team found “disease-modified” macrophages stimulate nerve-cell growth and activity by releasing the growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).
The researchers also found levels of IGF-1 in endometriosis sufferers’ pelvic cavity tissue were higher than in women without the condition and were in line with their pain scores.
Further tests revealed preventing the hormone’s activity by blocking the cell receptor for IGF-1 “reverses the pain behaviour observed in mice with endometriosis”.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/h...e/news-story/7fb370651c0eb926068d120c661ad0d0
The debilitating condition was one of the most searched for words in 2018, but its cause has remained a mystery until now.
UK researchers found a type of white blood cell, called macrophages, that has mutated or undergone some change could be the prime cause of endometriosis.
Previous studies have already shown macrophages play a central role in the development of endometriosis.
The immune cells help the lesions grow and also drive the development of their blood supply.
More recent studies have also revealed macrophages help nerves grow in the lesions, which could lead to increased pain around these areas.
The aim of the new study, published in a recent Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal paper, “was to determine the mechanistic role of macrophages in producing pain associated with endometriosis”.
The team found “disease-modified” macrophages stimulate nerve-cell growth and activity by releasing the growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).
The researchers also found levels of IGF-1 in endometriosis sufferers’ pelvic cavity tissue were higher than in women without the condition and were in line with their pain scores.
Further tests revealed preventing the hormone’s activity by blocking the cell receptor for IGF-1 “reverses the pain behaviour observed in mice with endometriosis”.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/h...e/news-story/7fb370651c0eb926068d120c661ad0d0