Dienogest enhances autophagy induction in endometriotic cells by impairing activation of AKT, ERK1/2, and mTOR

摘要

Objective: To elucidate the therapeutic mechanisms of progestin and the effects of progesterone and progestin (dienogest) on autophagy induction and regulation in endometriotic cells, specifically the effects of progesterone and dienogest on the phosphoinositide-3/protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases 1 and 2 (MEK1/2)/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathways, which activate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a major negative regulator of autophagy.