Equine Endometrosis Pathological Features: Are They Dependent on NF-κB Signaling Pathway?
Authors: Jasiński Tomasz, Zdrojkowski Łukasz, Kautz Ewa, Juszczuk-Kubiak Edyta, Ferreira-Dias Graça, Domino Małgorzata
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Endometrosis remains a significant fertility challenge in mares, yet standard histopathological classification may not fully capture disease severity or mechanisms. Jasiński and colleagues examined whether activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway—a key driver of inflammation and tissue remodelling—differs across histologically distinct endometrosis types (active/inactive and destructive/non-destructive) in 100 postmortem cyclic mares, measuring mRNA expression of NF-κB subunits, pro-inflammatory molecules, and hyaluronan synthases using molecular techniques. Destructive endometrosis consistently showed elevated RelA and NF-κB1 gene expression alongside heightened MCP-1 transcript levels, with phase-dependent variations: active destructive lesions upregulated these markers during follicular phase, whilst inactive destructive disease showed elevated expression in mid-luteal phase. These findings suggest that NF-κB pathway activation correlates with extracellular matrix destruction and progressive fibrosis, and that the reproductive cycle phase influences the inflammatory landscape—information that could refine our understanding of endometrosis progression and potentially guide targeted therapeutic interventions beyond current phenotypic classification alone.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Destructive endometrosis involves distinct NF-κB signaling activation patterns that differ by estrous cycle phase, suggesting timing of diagnostic sampling and intervention may matter
- •The inflammatory pathway activation in destructive endometrosis reflects significant extracellular matrix remodeling, indicating these mares have progressive tissue damage affecting fertility prognosis
- •Cycle-phase-dependent differences in gene expression suggest therapeutic interventions targeting NF-κB signaling might be optimized by considering reproductive status at time of treatment
Key Findings
- •RelA and NF-κB1 gene expression was significantly higher in destructive endometrosis compared to non-destructive types
- •Active destructive endometrosis showed elevated NF-κB pathway activation during the follicular phase, while inactive destructive type showed elevation in the mid-luteal phase
- •High expression of RelA, NF-κB1, and MCP-1 transcripts correlated with destructive endometrosis phenotype
- •Estrous cycle phase influences the pathogenesis of fibrosis and extracellular matrix changes in endometrosis