[Regulation of uterine cellular proliferation with estrogens and growth factors]

In this paper the role of estrogen and growth factors in the uterine cellular proliferation is analyzed. The evidences indicate that the estradiol-stimulate cell division is associated with the induction of expression of a variety of growth factors from the all major uterine cell types (epithelia, stroma and myometrium). These growth factors amplify the estrogen proliferation signal in autocrine and/or paracrin fashion. The best-studied growth factors in the uterine response to estradiol are epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Uterine cell proliferation is a complex process that involves interactions of several growth factors, ovarian steroids hormones action and cell to cell signaling.