Abstract
Purpose In this study, we evaluated the effect of Tiaojing Cuyun Recipe (TJCYR) on embryo implantation dysfunction- (EID-) induced damage of endometrial receptivity in mice and investigated the mechanisms underlying the effect. Methods The main compounds of TJCYR were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). One hundred and twenty pregnant mice were randomly divided into six groups: control, EID only, progesterone (Prog)+EID, TJCYR-low-dose+EID, TJCYR-medium-dose+EID, and TJCYR-high-dose+EID. Mifepristone was injected to make the EID model. On the fourth day of pregnancy, serum was obtained to analyze hormone level by radioimmunoassay, the uterus was collected to analyze morphology by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a combination of immunofluorescence and Western blot was used to identify the related proteins. On the eighth day of pregnancy, the mice were sacrificed and the number of uterus-implanted blastocysts was counted. Results Treatment with TJCYR significantly improved the number of implanted sites, the number of well-developed pinopodes, and microvascular formation in the mice. Moreover, TJCYR significantly activated PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathways to promote angiogenesis, resulting in significantly improved endometrial receptivity and fertility outcomes when compared to the model group. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that TJCYR was able to protect embryo implantation of EID mice due to TJCYR-mediated improvement in endometrial receptivity by promoting endometrial angiogenesis.
Highlights
The incidence of infertility has been a global health problem among women [1]
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatographic results showed that the indicator components of these TCM components in the recipe were effectively transferred to the extract during water decocting
We described the protective effects of Tiaojing Cuyun Recipe (TJCYR) against EID, and we found that progesterone and its receptor were increased notably with TJCYR treatment
Summary
While access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) has overcome the majority of infertility causes, success rates have stagnated at around 30% [2]. Successful pregnancy inevitably depends on high embryo quality and good endometrial receptivity. The endometrium apical surface undergoes several morphological, molecular, and biochemical changes to provide a favorable environment for embryo implantation, thereby creating an effective maternal-fetal interaction [3]. Endometrial receptivity is key to raising the pregnancy rate in women with infertility [4,5,6]. The supply of essential nutrients and oxygen from vasculature is very important for the development of maternal-fetal interaction. Enhanced endometrial angiogenesis is one of the important biological events during the reproductive cycle and pregnancy
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