2-methoxyestradiol inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor-1{alpha} and suppresses growth of lesions in a mouse model of endometriosis.
Endometriosis, the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, is a common disease affecting women during their reproductive years. Current therapeutic success is often unsatisfactory because of limited insight into disease mechanisms. Nevertheless, angiogenesis plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of the disease, making it a potential novel target for therapy. In the current study, we demonstrate in an established mouse model of endometriosis that transient hypoxia in transplanted endometriosis-like lesions results in the up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), leading to the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key player in endometriosis-associated angiogenesis. Systemic treatment with the angiogenesis inhibitor 2-methoxyestradiol suppressed HIF-1alpha expression in vivo, resulting in a decreased downstream expression of HIF-1alpha target genes, such as for VEGF, phosphoglycerate kinase, and glucose transporter-1. 2-Methoxyestradiol also suppressed VEGF-induced vascular permeability, as demonstrated in a modified Miles assay. Finally, systemic treatment with 2-methoxyestradiol significantly inhibited the growth of endometriosis-like lesions in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, hypoxia appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and endometriosis-associated angiogenesis, and the angiogenesis inhibitor 2-methoxyestradiol may be a potential candidate for systemic treatment in the future.
Becker
Christian M
CM
Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Womens Centre Headington, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK. christian.becker@obs-gyn.ox.ac.uk
Rohwer
Nadine
N
Funakoshi
Tae
T
Cramer
Thorsten
T
Bernhardt
Wanja
W
Birsner
Amy
A
Folkman
Judah
J
D'Amato
Robert J
RJ
D000077584:2-Methoxyestradiol; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002199:Capillary Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; C497443:Hif1a protein, mouse; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D004958:Estradiol; D000077584:2-Methoxyestradiol