Intestinal microbiota-associated LysoPC(16:0) promotes endometriosis via PPARγ-mediated M2 macrophage polarization and IL-10 secretion

Abstract

Both gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered pelvic immune microenvironment have been linked to endometriosis (EM), but the metabolites connecting the two remain undefined. Combining 16S rDNA sequencing with non-targeted metabolomics in a murine EM model, we found altered gut microbiota composition alongside a marked rise in peritoneal lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC(16:0)), linked to the microbiota shift by correlation analysis and fecal transplantation. LysoPC(16:0) promoted M2 macrophage polarization through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), an effect observed in two mouse strains. Clodronate-mediated macrophage depletion blocked LysoPC(16:0)-driven lesion growth. LysoPC(16:0) further induced PPARγ-dependent IL-10 transcription, and IL-10 neutralization in vivo reduced lesion weight. Conditioned medium from LysoPC(16:0)-stimulated THP-1 macrophages promoted migration of primary endometrial stromal cells from patients with EM, an effect reversed by GW9662 or IL-10 neutralization. Together, these results outline a gut microbiota-LysoPC(16:0)-PPARγ-M2–IL-10 axis in EM pathogenesis, a mechanistic and therapeutic target for future clinical study.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. iScience, 2026 · DOI ↗