Wenshen Xiaozheng Tang ameliorates endometriosis by interrupting the lactate/H3K9la-mediated crosstalk between ectopic endometrial stromal cells and macrophages

Single-cell transcriptomic analysis revealed enhanced glycolytic activity in eESCs and a positive correlation between M2 macrophage polarization and lactate-sensing gene signatures.

WXT-containing serum inhibited eESC-derived lactate production, reduced H3K9la levels in macrophages, and blocked lactate-induced M2 polarization. Through UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and molecular docking screening, we identified tormentic acid as a key absorbed component with strong predicted binding to both GLUT1 (a key glycolytic transporter) and p300 (a key regulator of histone lactylation). Tormentic acid reproduced the effects of WXT-containing serum, suppressing lactate production, reducing H3K9la levels, and attenuating M2 polarization.