Endometriosis is common in reproductive-age women and its pathology is to increase proliferation and migration to enhance epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression (EMT). However, treatments are currently limited, so it is important to explore new therapeutic drugs. Hence, in this study, we investigate the therapeutic effect of fucoidan (FC) on the progression and mechanisms of endometriosis. The cell viability of endometrial cell lines End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 treated with different concentrations of FC were assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell counting. Cell migration was evaluated using wound-healing assay. In an in vivo experiment, female Balb/c mice received surgically induced endometriosis followed by different concentrations of fucoidan for 6 weeks. High-frequency ultrasound imaging was applied to detect subsequent lesion growth. The results demonstrated that fucoidan inhibited the viability and migration ability of End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 cells. Additionally, the administration of fucoidan reduced the volume and weight of endometriotic lesions, decreased inflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of serum and lesions, and improved EMT proliferation and apoptosis-related protein expression. For the first time, fucoidan indicated anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects as well as inhibited EMT progression and induced apoptosis, improving endometriosis.
Keywords: endometriosis; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; fucoidan; inflammatory; vascular endothelial growth factor.