<i>Cuscuta chinensis</i> Lam. Alleviates transforming growth factor beta-induced endometrial fibrosis and inflammation in vitro

Abstract Objectives In this study, we intend to investigate and report the effect of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. (CCL) treatment on transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)-induced endometrial fibrosis and inflammation. Methods Human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) were treated with CCL. The efficacy of CCL on TGF-β-induced endometrial fibrosis and inflammation was assessed by detecting the expression levels of fibrosis and THP-1 inflammatory markers in HESCs using western blot and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The active ingredients and corresponding targets of the drugs were obtained from TCMSP and ETCM 2.0 databases. The relevant targets of IUA were collected using DisGeNET and GeneCards databases. Possible therapeutic targets of CCL in IUA were analyzed using R-based gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis. The top six targets ranked by degree were validated in HESCs and THP-1 cells. Results CCL treatment can significantly reverse the levels of TGF-β-induced fibrosis markers in HESCs, including α-SMA, COL1A1, vimentin, and E-cadherin (p&lt;0.01). In addition, HESCs treated with CCL can reduce M1 polarization levels in THP-1 cells, represented as the decreased CCL-2 mRNA, ADGRE1 mRNA, and F4/80 ratio (p&lt;0.001). 32 possible therapeutic targets of CCL in IUA were obtained. These 32 therapeutic targets were enriched in multiple GO terms and KEGG pathways. CCL decreased TGFB1, AKT1, and MMP9 expression levels in HESCs cells (p&lt;0.001), as well as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 releases in THP-1 (p&lt;0.01). Conclusions CCL inhibits fibrosis and inflammation, and it may be a potentially effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of endometrial fibrosis.