Interleukin-37b inhibits the growth of murine endometriosis-like lesions by regulating proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and inflammation

Yongpei He, Ting Xiong, Fang Guo, Zhenzhen Du, Yixian Fan, Huanhuan Sun, Feng Zuohua, Zuohua Feng, Guimei Zhang
Molecular human reproduction · 2020 · vol. 26(4) , pp. 240–255 · doi:10.1093/molehr/gaaa014 · PMID:32119739 · W3010618770
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 5 in-corpus citations
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Interleukin-37b administration inhibited murine endometriosis-like lesion growth by reducing proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and inflammation via the Akt and Erk1/2 signaling pathways.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease with abnormal expression of interleukin (IL)-37 which can suppress inflammation and the immune system. Here we investigated the role of the IL-37b splice variant in endometriosis in vivo and in vitro. In a murine model of endometriosis, in vivo administration of IL-37b significantly inhibited the development of lesions judged by the number (P = 0.0213), size (P = 0.0130) and weight (P = 0.0152) of lesions. IL-37b had no effect on the early stage of lesion formation, however administration in the growth stage of lesions decreased the number (P = 0.0158), size (P = 0.0158) and weight (P = 0.0258) of lesions compared with PBS control, an effect that was not reversed by macrophage depletion. Expressions of inflammatory factors, matrix metalloproteinases and vascular endothelial growth factor-A mRNA/protein were significantly inhibited in ectopic lesions following IL-37b administration, and in uterine segments treated in vitro. In vitro treatment of uterine segments with IL-37b inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and Erk1/2 in uterine segments. Isolated mouse endometrial stromal treated with IL-37b and transfected with pIL-37b plasmid got suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and the expression of inflammatory factors. In addition, transfection with pIL-37b significantly decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and Erk1/2. IL-37b also inhibited proliferation and the expression of inflammatory and angiogenesis factors in epithelial cell line RL95-2. These findings suggest that IL-37b may inhibit the growth of lesions by regulating proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and inflammation through Akt and Erk1/2 signaling pathway.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Interleukin-1 Animals Cell Proliferation Cell Proliferation Disease Models, Animal Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Inflammation Inflammation Interleukin-1 Macrophages, Peritoneal Macrophages, Peritoneal MAP Kinase Signaling System MAP Kinase Signaling System Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Neovascularization, Pathologic Neovascularization, Pathologic

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