Fedotova M, Barysheva E, Bushueva O. Pathways of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) in the Orchestration of Uterine Fibroids Development.
Life (Basel) 2023;
13:1740. [PMID:
37629598 PMCID:
PMC10456109 DOI:
10.3390/life13081740]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Uterine fibroids (UF) are common benign tumors in women. The course of UF is associated with troubling symptoms and the development of infertility and pregnancy pathology. Surgical treatment even implies hysterectomy, while pharmacological interventions are modestly effective. Classically, hypoxic metabolism is considered a hallmark of malignant tumor. However, the role of hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) is significant in benign tumors as well. Herein, we briefly review the basic biology of HIF-family proteins, outlining their possible roles in UF. Apart from theoretical justifications, we summarized 15 studies reporting increased expression of HIFs and downstream factors in UF samples. Altogether, data suggest that increased expression of the HIF-protein and altered expression of its dependent genes are presumed to be the factors leading to UF development. Thus, even without being a malignant tumor, UF is characterized by the strong involvement of HIF. This novel insight may give rise to further research in the direction of finding new prognostic markers and effective medicines against UF.
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