BDNF facilitates ectopic endometrial stromal cell growth, invasion, migration and glycolysis in endometriosis via upregulating GLUT1

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is considered to participate in regulating the endometriosis (EM) process. However, other functions and mechanisms of BDNF in EM progression still need to be further studied. Material and Methods: Ectopic/normal endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) were isolated from EM tissues/normal control endometrial tissues. BDNF mRNA expression in EM tissues and normal control endometrial tissues was analyzed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The protein levels of BDNF and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) were detected by Western blot. The function of ESCs was determined through cell counting kit 8 assay, 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay. The interaction between BDNF and GLUT1 was assessed through a co-immunoprecipitation assay and immunofluorescence staining. Results: BDNF expression was elevated in EM tissues and ectopic ESCs. Functional experiments revealed that BDNF knockdown repressed ectopic ESC proliferation, invasion, migration, and glycolysis and promoted apoptosis. In terms of mechanism, BDNF interacted with GLUT1 to enhance its protein expression. In addition, the repressing effect of BDNF knockdown on ectopic ESCs’ growth, invasion, migration, and glycolysis was abolished by GLUT1 overexpression. Conclusion: Our study showed that BDNF could facilitate ectopic ESC function by interacting with GLUT1, thereby providing basic information for finding an effective therapeutic target of EM.