Periostin Enhances Migration, Invasion, and Adhesion of Human Endometrial Stromal Cells Through Integrin-Linked Kinase 1/Akt Signaling Pathway.

Although our previous study confirmed that periostin (PN) was overexpressed in the eutopic and ectopic endometrial stroma of women with endometriosis by immunohistochemitry, the role of PN in the pathophysiology of endometriosis remains unknown. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effects of PN on endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) migration, invasion, adhesion, and proliferation and to further study the mechanism under this process. Eutopic (EuSCs), ectopic (EcSCs), and normal ESCs (NSCs) were isolated and cultured. We evaluated the above-mentioned biology behaviors and the expression of PN, integrin-linked kinase 1 (ILK1), and phospho-Akt (p-Akt) in NSCs, EuSCs as well as EcSCs before and after receiving PN small-interfering RNA (siRNA). The protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of PN were upregulated in EuSCs (P < .05; P = .2261 in proliferative phase and P = .3385 in secretory phase) and EcSCs (P < .001; P < .001 in proliferative phase and P < .05 in secretory phase) compared with NSCs, although there was no significant difference in PN mRNA between EuSCs and NSCs. In EcSCs, abilities of migration, invasion, and adhesion and the expressions of ILK1 and p-Akt were enhanced; and all of those were downregulated after PN siRNA interference. Thus, PN enhanced ESCs migration, invasion, and adhesion due to the ILK1/Akt signal pathway. As an agonist in the development and progression of endometriosis, PN may be a new clinical treatment target of endometriosis.