[Effect of gestrinone on growth and apoptosis in isolated ectopic endometrium cells in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the effects of gestrinone on growth and apoptosis, as well as the expression of phosphatase and tension homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) in isolated ectopic endometrium cells in vitro and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Ectopic endometrium cells were cultured and exposed to gestrinone of different doses of 0, 10(-6) and 10(-4) mol/L respectively. The inhibition of the cells during 48 hours was determined by methylthiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, and the cell growth curve was made. Gestrinone was administered to the cells and at 24 hours the morphological changes were observed by transmission electron microscopy and the apoptosis rate, cell cycle and PTEN expression were monitored by flow cytometry (FCM) at the same time.

Results: Gestrinone at different concentrations could inhibit the growth and proliferation of ectopic endometrium cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibition rate of cell growth after exposed to gestrinone for 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48 h was 99.6%, 87.3%, 79.8%, 62.3%, 51.7% and 44.2% in the 10(-6) mol/L group, and 99.2%, 77.1%, 69.6%, 51.1%, 33.7% and 23.6% in the 10(-4) mol/L group (P < 0.05), and cell growth curve was changed accordingly. After 24 hour exposure to gestrinone from 10(-6) to 10(-4) mol/l, apoptotic changes of cells were observed under transmission electron microscope. FCM showed that after the exposure to gestrinone, the apoptotic rate of ectopic endometrium cells was 1.3% in 10(-6) mol/L group and 15.0% in 10(4) mol/L group. It was significantly increased when compared with the 0 mol/L group, the apoptotic rate of which was 0% (P < 0.05). The level of PTEN expression of the ectopic endometrium cells was 60.6% after treated with 0 mol/L gestrinone, while in 10(-6) and 10(-4) mol/l groups the level of PTEN expression was increased to 75.3% and 85.7%, significantly higher than that of the 0 mol/L group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Gestrinone can significantly inhibit the growth and proliferation of ectopic endometrium cells, and this effect was related to increase of PTEN expression.