Oestrogen-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of endometrial epithelial cells contributes to the development of adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is an oestrogen-dependent disease caused by a downward extension of the endometrium into the uterine myometrium. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows cells with migratory and invasive properties and can be induced by oestrogen. We hypothesized that oestrogen-induced EMT is critical in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis. We first investigated whether EMT occurred in adenomyotic lesions and whether it correlated with serum 17β-oestradiol (E2) levels. Immunohistochemistry was performed on adenomyotic lesions and corresponding eutopic endometrium samples from women with adenomyosis. Endometria from women without endometrial disorders were used as a control. In the epithelial component of adenomyotic lesions, vimentin expression was up-regulated and E-cadherin expression was down-regulated compared to the eutopic endometrium, suggesting that EMT occurs in adenomyosis. In adenomyosis, the serum E2 level was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression in the epithelial components of the eutopic endometrium and adenomyotic lesions, suggesting the involvement of oestrogen-induced EMT in endometrial cells. In oestrogen receptor-positive Ishikawa endometrial epithelial cells, oestrogen induced a morphological change to a fibroblast-like phenotype, a shift from epithelial marker expression to mesenchymal marker expression, increased migration and invasion, and up-regulation of the EMT regulator Slug. Raloxifene, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator, abrogated these effects. To determine the role of oestrogen-induced EMT in the implantation of ectopic endometrium, we xenotransplanted eutopic endometrium or adenomyotic lesions from adenomyosis patients into ovariectomized SCID mice. The implantation of endometrium was oestrogen-dependent and was suppressed by raloxifene. Collectively, these data highlight the crucial role of oestrogen-induced EMT in the development of adenomyosis and suggest that raloxifene may be a potential therapeutic agent for adenomyosis patients.