Objective: To observe the inhibitory effects of puerarin on angiopoiesis of endometriotic tissue, and to explore the regulatory effects of puerarin on tumor-related gene expression of endometriosis.
Methods: The regulatory effects of puerarin on endometriotic angiopoiesis and tumor-related gene expression were observed by using a chicken chorioallantoic membrane model and gene array method.
Results: Chicken chorioallantoic membrane experiment indicated that puerarin obviously inhibited endometriotic vesiculation and angiopoiesis. The area of blood vessels was significantly reduced as compared with the untreated group (P<0.05). The expressions of oncogenes and genes related to adhesion, invasion, and apoptosis, including ERBB2, ETS2, FOS, S100A4, TEK, TERT, NFKBIA, CDH1, CD44, ITGA6, NCAM1, MMP1, FLT1, AKT1, BCL2L and BIRC5 genes, were obviously higher, while the expressions of the anti-oncogenes, anti-apoptosis genes and anti-invasion genes, including KAI1, KISS1, SERPINB5, TNFRSF25, TNFRSF1A, TNFRSF6 and SERPINB2, were significantly lower in eutopic endometrial tissue from patients with endometriosis than those from endometriosis-free women. The expressions of oncogenes (ERBB2, ETS2, FOS), apoptosis gene (BCL2L1), cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4, CDC25A), and growth factor and receptors (HGF, FGFR2, TGFBR) were significantly enhanced, while the expressions of the anti-oncogenes (KAI1, SERPINB5), apoptosis genes (BAD and TNF) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibiting factor (CDKN2A) were obviously reduced in ectopic tissue as compared with those in eutopic tissue from patients with endometriosis. Puerarin significantly enhanced the gene expressions in endometriotic stromal cells, including BAD, BAX, CASP8, CASP9, TNFRSF6, CDKN1B, CDKN2A, IFNA1 and IFNB1, and reduced the gene expressions of FOS, CHEK2, SRC, ITGB5, MMP9, PDGFA and NFKBIA.
Conclusions: The tumor-related gene expression has significant differences in eutopic endometrial tissue between patients with endometriosis and endometriosis-free women, and between ectopic and eutopic tissues from patients with endometriosis. Puerarin can reduce angiopoiesis, regulate tumor-related gene expression and facilitate apoptosis in endometriotic tissue.