Interferons: pathogenetic rationale for the treatment of external genital endometriosis and clinical efficacy

Abstract

Hypothesis/aims of study. Endometriosis is the main cause of infertility and social maladjustment in women, caused by the presence of inflammatory endometriotic implants outside the uterus. A number of chemokines, including interferons, compromise the immune response on the development of endometriosis raising the interest to the investigation of interferons in this context. Based on this, the purpose of this review was to study the role of interferons in the pathogenesis of external genital endometriosis and to assess the possibility of their application within comprehensive pathogenesis-based therapy. Study design, materials and methods: literature data of national and international investigations for the period from 1996 to 2018; systematic analysis and evaluation of the literary data. Conclusion. Type I interferons seem to be promising agents for understanding of the pathogenesis of endometriosis, and can be considered as targeted therapy for this disease. The mechanisms of their functions require a further study. Type II interferons may be used in the future as diagnostic markers for the assessment of the disease severity.