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The "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" of Endothelial Dysfunction Markers in Human Fertility
Daniele Santi1,2, Giorgia Spaggiari2, Carla Greco1,2
1Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Modena, Italy.
Insights
Endothelial dysfunction impacts cardiovascular disease and fertility. This review details markers for assessing endothelial health in clinical and research settings, focusing on reproductive health applications.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Reproductive Biology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Endothelial dysfunction is a primary factor in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.
- Assessing endothelial health is crucial for clinical practice, with various markers available.
- Emerging evidence highlights the role of endothelial function in human fertility and reproduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current endothelial health markers, distinguishing between clinical and research applications.
- To explore the application of these markers in human fertility and reproduction.
- To evaluate novel molecules that may elucidate the connection between endothelial and reproductive health.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of endothelial health markers.
- Analysis of marker utility in clinical practice versus research settings.
- Evaluation of marker relevance to human fertility and reproductive outcomes.
Main Results:
- Identified established and emerging markers for endothelial health assessment.
- Differentiated markers suitable for clinical use from those for research purposes.
- Highlighted the significance of endothelial function in reproductive health and potential therapeutic targets.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial health markers are vital for understanding cardiovascular disease and reproductive health.
- Clinical and research markers offer distinct insights into endothelial function.
- Further research into novel molecules is needed to fully understand the endothelial-reproductive health axis.
Abstract:
Endothelial dysfunction is an early event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and represents the first step in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The evaluation of endothelial health is fundamental in clinical practice and several direct and indirect markers have been suggested so far to identify any alterations in endothelial homeostasis. Alongside the known endothelial role on vascular health, several pieces of evidence have demonstrated that proper endothelial functioning plays a key role in human fertility and reproduction. Therefore, this state-of-the-art review updates the endothelial health markers discriminating between those available for clinical practice or for research purposes and their application in human fertility. Moreover, new molecules potentially helpful to clarify the link between endothelial and reproductive health are evaluated herein.
