Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of adiponectin on the proliferation, invasion, andphosphatidylinositol 3-kinase / protein kinase B / nuclear factor kappa B (PI3K / AKT / NF-κB) pathway in endometrial cancer cells. Methods Endometrial cancer cell lines AN3CA and HEC-1-Awere transfected with pcDNA, pcDNA-adiponectin. The efficiency of adiponectin overexpression were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell invasion were detected by CCK8, flow cytometry, and Transwell assay, respectively. The expression levels of caspase-9, caspase-3, vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF), E-cadherin, N-cadherin, fibronectin ( FN ), p-PI3K / PI3K, p-AKT / AKT, p-P65 / P65 were detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with those in the Control group, the adiponectin expression levels of endometrial cancer cells AN3CA and HEC-1-A in the adiponectin group were significantly increased(P < 0. 05), the cell proliferation ratio was significantly reduced (P < 0. 05), and the rate of apoptosis was significant increase (P < 0. 05), cell invasion number was significantly reduced (P <0. 05), the expression levels of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were significantly increased (P < 0. 05),VEGF levels were significantly decreased (P< 0. 05), E-cadherin level was increased, N-cadherinand FN levels were decreased (P< 0. 05), phosphorylated PI3K / AKT / P65 levels were significantly decreased (P< 0. 05). Conclusion Adiponectin inhibits the proliferation and invasion of endometrial cancer AN3CA and HEC-1-A cells and the activation of PI3K / AKT / NF-κB pathway.

Key words: adiponectin, endometrial cancer, PI3K / AKT / NF-κB pathway