Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation combined with drug therapy for endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain and its influence on the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway
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R711.71

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    Abstract:

    Objective: To investigate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) combined with drug therapy for endometriosis (EM)-related chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and its influence on the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway. Methods: 78 patients with endometriosis-associated CPP were enrolled and divided into two groups according to different treatment regimens. The control group (n=39) received routine drug intervention, while the observation group (n=39) received TENS treatment in addition to the treatment of the control group. The treatment course for both groups was 2 months. Clinical efficacy, quality of life [Endometriosis Health Profile-5 (EHP-5)], anal sphincter muscle ultrasound indicators [levator hiatus (LH) anteroposterior diameter (AP), area (A), left-right diameter (LR)], levels of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)], stress hormones [norepinephrine (NE), cortisol (Cor)], pain mediators [substance P (SP), β-endorphin (β-EP), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)], TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway expression levels, and the incidence of adverse reactions during treatment were compared between the two groups. Results: The treatment efficacy rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the EHP-5 scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The increases in LH AP, LH LR, and LH A indices in the observation group were greater than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, Cor, and NE were decreased (P<0.05). The levels of SP, PGE2, and 5-HT in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), while the concentration of β-EP was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The expression of TGF-β1 mRNA and Smad3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), while Smad7 mRNA was higher (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: TENS combined with drug therapy for EM-related CPP can effectively alleviate pain symptoms, improve the quality of life, promote the recovery of pelvic floor function, regulate inflammation and stress responses, and modulate TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway expression.

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陈怡如;王晓燕;曹霞;成翔燕;.经皮神经电刺激联合药物治疗子宫内膜异位症相关性慢性盆腔痛的疗效及其对TGF-β/Smads信号通路的影响[J]. Journal of North Sichuan Medical College,2025,40(12):1593-1597.

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  • Online: January 07,2026
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