IGF-1 regulates the growth of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix deposition in pelvic organ prolapse
Yitong Yin, Ying Han, Chang Shi, Zhijun Xia
Abstract
This study was carried out to observe the impact of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on human vaginal fibroblasts (HVFs) in the context of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and to explore its effects on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. First, it was found that IGF-1 expression reduced in the vaginal wall tissues derived from POP compared to that in non-POP cases. Then the role of IGF-1 was explored in HVFs and thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry were used to detect cell viability and cell apoptosis. Western blot assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the protein and mRNA expression. The results showed that knockdown of IGF-1 inhibited the cell viability of HVFs, promoted the cell apoptosis of HVFs, and decreased the expression of types I and III collagen in HVFs, which was through inhibiting the expression of IGF-1 receptor and MAPK/NF-κB pathways. However, IGF-1 plasmid had the opposite effects on HVFs. In conclusion, our results showed that IGF-1 could activate MAPK and NF-κB pathways, thereby enhancing collagen metabolism and the growth of vaginal wall fibroblasts then to inhibit POP development.