Charting the nerve-immune axis in endometriosis
Tianyi Lu1, Zhengrong Deng1, Kailin Yang2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Development and Related Diseases of Women and Children Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, PR China.
Trends in Immunology
|March 27, 2026
Summary
Endometriosis involves complex neuroimmune interactions, not just local inflammation. Targeting these nerve-immune pathways offers new hope for treating endometriosis pain and disease progression.
Area of Science:
- Gynecology
- Neuroimmunology
- Pain Medicine
Background:
- Endometriosis is increasingly viewed as a systemic condition.
- Complex interactions between nerves and immune cells are central to endometriosis.
- Aberrant sensory nerve growth and immune dysfunction drive lesion development and pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the functional link between neuroimmune interplay and endometriosis.
- To explore how nerve-immune signaling influences endometriosis pathology.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets within the neuroimmune framework.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review.
- Analysis of preclinical and clinical studies on neuroimmune interactions in endometriosis.
- Synthesis of evidence on reciprocal signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Neuroimmune crosstalk actively shapes epithelial and stromal cells in endometriosis.
- Reciprocal signaling amplifies inflammation and reinforces pain circuitry.
- Nerve growth and immune cell dysfunction are key to lesion development and sustained pain.
Conclusions:
- Endometriosis is a disorder of distributed network dysregulation involving neuroimmune interactions.
- Targeting key neuroimmune nodes presents novel therapeutic opportunities.
- Interventions focused on neuroimmune pathways may curb lesion progression and chronic pain.
