Effect of histone deacetylase inhibitors on angiogenic, invasive and adhesive factors in endometriosis

Despite of several therapeutic options in the treatment of endometriosis, most of them are symptomatically oriented. Histone deacetylase-inhibitors (HDACi) are a novel class of epigenetic acting drugs that inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. HDACi have been shown to cause hyperacetylation of histones, and thus, to effect the reactivation of silenced genes. HDACi have furthermore the advantage of being less toxic in normal cells than in cancer cells. Endometriosis, although known as benign disorder, shares some characteristics with cancers such as cell adhesion, degradation of the extracellular m…