Androgen Signaling in Uterine Diseases: New Insights and New Targets
Mu Lv,
Juanjuan Yu,
Yan Huang,
Jie Ma,
Jun Xiang,
Yanqiu Wang,
Linxia Li,
Zhenbo Zhang,
Hong Liao
Affiliations
Mu Lv
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, China
Juanjuan Yu
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, China
Yan Huang
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong-An Road, Shanghai 200032, China
Jie Ma
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, China
Jun Xiang
Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
Yanqiu Wang
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
Linxia Li
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seventh People’s Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 358 Datong Road, Shanghai 200137, China
Zhenbo Zhang
Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
Hong Liao
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200040, China
Common uterine diseases include endometriosis, uterine fibroids, endometrial polyps, endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial cancer, and endometrial dysfunction causing infertility. Patients with uterine diseases often suffer from abdominal pain, menorrhagia, infertility and other symptoms, which seriously impair their health and disturb their lives. Androgens play important roles in the normal physiological functions of the uterus and pathological progress of uterine diseases. Androgens in women are synthesized in the ovaries and adrenal glands. The action of androgens in the uterus is mainly mediated by its ligand androgen receptor (AR) that regulates transcription of the target genes. However, much less is known about the signaling pathways through which androgen functions in uterine diseases, and contradictory findings have been reported. This review summarizes and discusses the progress of research on androgens and the involvement of AR in uterine diseases. Future studies should focus on developing new therapeutic strategies that precisely target specific AR and their related signaling pathways in uterine diseases.
