Levonorgestrel Ameliorates Adenomyosis via lncRNA H19/miR-17/TLR4 Pathway

Abstract

Purpose

To explore the mechanism of levonorgestrel (LNG)-ameliorating adenomyosis through long non-coding RNA H19 (lncRNA H19)/miR-17/Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway.

Patients and Methods

A total of 71 cases of adenomyosis and 54 cases of normal endometrium were sampled. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to quantify lncRNA H19, miR-17, and TLR4 mRNA, while Western blot (WB) was used to quantify TLR4 protein. Effects of LNG on normal endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) were evaluated. Suppression/over-expression vectors of lncRNA H19, miR-17, and TLR4 were constructed to observe their effects on ESCs.

Results

MiR-17 and TLR4 mRNA were up-regulated and lncRNA H19 was down-regulated in adenomyosis. After LNG treatment, lncRNA H19 was up-regulated while miR-17 and TLR4 were down-regulated. LNG, up-regulation of lncRNA H19, and down-regulation of miR-17 and TLR4 portend increased apoptosis, G1-arrested cells, as well as inhibited inflammation. Dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay conformed the targeting relation of lncRNA H19/miR-17/TLR4 pathway.

Conclusion

LNG ameliorates adenomyosis via lncRNA H19/miR-17/TLR4 pathway.

Keywords:

• adenomyosis
• levonorgestrel
• lncRNA H19/miR-17/TLR4 pathway

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund Project (Grant number: 81904243); Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Development Plan Project (Grant number: 2017-173); National Natural Science Foundation of China Funded Project (81873330); Shandong Science and Technology Innovation Project (2018CXGC1309); Shandong Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Development Plan Project (2017-070); Shandong Province Key R & D Plan (2017G006 017); Taishan Scholar Project in Shandong Province (No: tsqn201909185).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.