Interferon-α2b on endometrioma cell in vitro

Objective: Interferon-α2b has been shown to have an antineoplastic effect on renal carcinoma, bladder cancer, conjunctival and corneal neoplasia, and oncohematologic malignancies. It also was shown in a recent study to reduce the size of the endometriosis implants in an in vivo rat model. In the present study, interferon-α2b was used in vitro to evaluate its effect on the growth of endometrioma cells. Methods: Cells from four separate endometrioma cell lines were seeded at known concentrations into 6-well plates in M199 medium and given 24 hours to adhere to the plate. At 24 hours, the medium was exchanged for experimental media containing increasing levels of interferon-α2b as follows: 0 units/mL, 50 units/mL, 100 units/mL, 500/mL, 1,000 units/mL, and 2,000 units/mL. All cells were counted on days 0, 3, 6, and 9 in quadruplicate, and counts were averaged for each condition. Results: Interferon-α2b suppressed the growth of endometrioma cells in culture, in direct proportion to the concentration of interferon-α2b. Conclusions: Interferon-α2b inhibits the growth of endometrioma cells in culture. This finding may have prospects in the treatment of endometriosis.