Objective. To determine the effects of
Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) treatment on
endometriosis cells through study of apoptosis and autophagy. Design. Experimental in vitro study. Setting. University research laboratory. Cell Line. CRL-7566
endometriosis cell line. This line was established from a benign
ovarian cyst taken from a patient with
endometriosis. Interventions. In vitro treatment with MIS. Main Outcome Measures. The main outcome measures were cellular viability, proliferation, cell-cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis and autophagy in endometriotic cells. Results. MIS treatment inhibited proliferation of
endometriosis cells and induced apoptosis, as indicated by
Annexin V staining, and induced
caspase-9 cleavage and cell-cycle arrest, as evidenced by increased expression of
p27 CDK-inhibitor. MIS treatment also induced autophagy in
endometriosis cells as demonstrated by a significant increase in LC3-II induction, a hallmark of autophagy. Conclusions. MIS inhibits cell growth and induces autophagy, as well as apoptosis, in ectopic endometrial cell lines. Our results suggest that MIS may have a potential as a novel approach for medical treatment of
endometriosis. Further studies may be needed to test the efficacy of MIS treatment in animal models and to develop MIS treatment specifically targeted to the
endometriosis.