A study explains the cause of the accumulation of ATP in endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease that is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule involved in the inflammatory process associated with this disease, which influences two of its main symptoms: pain and fertility problems.
The purinergic signalling system, which groups together the set of biological responses to molecules such as ATP or adenosine, which act as extracellular messengers, is involved in reproductive activity and has deficiencies in pathologies that have an inflammatory component, such as endometriosis.
A group of researchers from various institutions, which include experts in endometriosis of the medical team of Dexeus Mujer, has conducted a multicentre study to see if alterations in the expression of some of the enzymes that regulate these messengers could be involved in the accumulation of ATP in endometrial tissue. The results have shown that the alteration in the expression of some ectonucleotides observed in endometriosis effectively enhances the accumulation of this molecule in the endometrial tissue. According to the authors, the results of this study open a path to the development of new strategies for the treatment of endometriosis.
Trapero C, Vidal A , Fernández-Montolí ME, , Coroleu B, Tresserra F, Barri P, Gómez de Aranda I, Sévigny J, Ponce J, Matias-Guiu X, Martín-Satué M.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Nov 6;20(22). pii: E5532. doi: 10.3390/ijms20225532.