Deregulation of the endometrial stromal cell secretome precedes embryo implantation failure

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONIs implantation failure following ART associated with a perturbed decidual response in endometrial stromal cells (EnSCs)?SUMMARY ANSWERDynamic changes in the secretome of decidualizing EnSCs underpin the transition of a hostile to a supportive endometrial microenvironment for embryo implantation; perturbation in this transitional pathway prior to ART is associated with implantation failure.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYImplantation is the rate-limiting step in ART, although the contribution of an aberrant endometrial microenvironment in IVF failure remains ill defined.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONIn vitro characterization of the temporal changes in the decidual response of primary EnSCs isolated prior to a successful or failed ART cycle. An analysis of embryo responses to secreted cues from undifferentiated and decidualizing EnSCs was performed. The primary clinical outcome of the study was a positive urinary pregnancy test 14 days after embryo transfer.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSPrimary EnSCs were isolated from endometrial biopsies obtained prior to IVF treatment and cryopreserved. EnSCs from 10 pregnant and 10 non-pregnant patients were then thawed, expanded in culture, subjected to clonogenic assays, and decidualized for either 2 or 8 days. Transcript levels of decidual marker gene [prolactin (PRL), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) and 11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD11B1)] were analysed using real-time quantitative PCR ...
Source: Molecular Human Reproduction - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research