[Effects of activating and inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway on murine model of eutopic endometrium and endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE

To employ the classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway interference to explore the effects on the functional changes of eutopic endometrium stromal cells and the differences between endometriosis in a murine model.

METHODS

Two out of three mouse groups received an injection of either Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activator or blocker. Later the endometrial tissue samples were obtained to develop endometrial stromal cell cultures for the detection of cell invasion ability via Boyden chamber invasion assay and Western blot (WB). Then the methods of WB and Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) were used to examine the factors of eutopic endometrium. And an endometriosis model was established to investigate the factors of signaling pathway via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) and IHC.

RESULTS

According to WB test, the level of β-catenin, GSK-3β and APC in the activation group were significantly higher than in the inhibition group (P < 0.01). In Boyden chamber invasion assay, the number of cells on membranes in the trial group was significantly higher than the control group [(113 ± 12) vs (64 ± 13)]. The expressions of VEGF and MMP-9 in the endometrial stromal cells culture from Boyden chamber assay analyzed via WB were ranked from highest to lowest respectively as activation group (vs control group was 35.6% and 27.4% higher), control group and inhibition group (vs control group was 12.3% and 30.4% lower). Furthermore, the endometrial E-cadherin and VEGF examined via IHC respectively showed a positive expression in inhibitor group and strong positive expression in activation group. QPCR showed the level of Wnt3, Wnt7, GSK3β, Lef and E-cadherin in the activation group was higher than those in the inhibition group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The intervention of WNT signaling pathway in vivo cause the changes of eutopic endometrial invasion and adhesion function, and further affect the development of endometriosis. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway may promote the eutopic endometrial cell proliferation and improve the ability of eutopic endometrial implantation, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis.