Wnt Signaling in Endometriosis: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent disease that affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age and leads to pain, infertility, and impaired quality of life. Despite current hormonal and surgical therapies, many patients continue to suffer from recurrence, fibrosis, and reduced fertility, emphasizing the need for mechanism-based treatment strategies. Aberrant intracellular signaling contributes to a pathogenic network linking proliferation, inflammation, fibrotic remodeling, and therapeutic resistance. Focusing on the roles of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, we discuss recent studies that indicate that excessive Wnt signaling may upregulate these disease-relevant cellular programs, while inhibition of the pathway may reduce the endometriotic lesion burden and fibrosis in preclinical models. Advances in Wnt-targeted therapies in oncology and fibrotic diseases now provide a timely translational framework for endometriosis. Targeting the Wnt pathway as part of broader mechanism-based therapeutic strategies may enable a shift from symptomatic treatments to non-hormonal and disease-modifying approaches.
Source: Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Reproductive Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,689
OpenAlex ID: W7225653424