Evaluation of the effects of Lithium on endometrial cells

The effects of Lithium Chloride (LiCl) within an endometrium epithelial cell model at the proliferation stage that takes place under the control of estrogen hormone from the endometrial cycle have been investigated from an immunocytochemical perspective within this study.The study has been conducted on groups that were not subject to any intervention, subject to LiCl only, subject to 17-ß-estradiol only; and subject to both LiCl and 17-ß-estradiol simultaneously. Initially, the effects of LiCl upon the cell proliferation process were examined. The immunocytochemistry of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), which is an indicator that is specific to the S phase during the evaluation of proliferation in Ishikhawa cells, has been conducted. It was concluded that at the applied dosage, 17-ß-estradiol increased the amount of cell proliferation. It was observed that the application of LiCl inhibited the cell proliferation depending on the level of concentration. At experiment groups that were subject to LiCl only and that were subject to both LiCl and 17-ß-estradiol; the inhibition of proliferation at statistically meaningful levels have been observed at 50, 75 and 100 mM concentrations.In order to explain the signal paths related to the inhibition of proliferation, the research proceeded at the 100 mM concentration where maximum level of inhibition has been observed. Changes at the signal messages of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which is a member of the protein kinase family that activates with mitogens (MAPK), have been observed from an immunocytochemical perspective. A meaningful change at the JNK and phospho c-jun protein expression levels between the control groups and experiment groups has not been observed.We have realized with our study that application of LiCl results in inhibition of endometrium cell proliferation and that this effect is independent of the JNK and phospho c-jun expressions. Under the light of these findings, it was concluded that LiCl could be evaluated as a therapeutic agent that has a potential of being used for the treatment of endometrial cancers and conditions such as endometriosis, which results in infertility over long periods.