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Abstract

Steroid hormones, cytokines, and growth factors have a major role in evoking local endometrial changes needed for trophoblast implantation. In the present study, the effect of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), 17-β estradiol (E2), and progesterone (Pr) on activin A and follistatin (FS) secretion from cultured human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) is evaluated. HESCs were obtained from healthy human endometrial samples (n = 8) collected from healthy women. The cells were cultured and stimulated with E2 (10^-7 M, 10 ^-6 M), Pr (10 ^-7 M, 10 ^-6 M), IL-1β (500 pg/mL), IL-1β (500 pg/mL) + E2 (10 ^-6 M), and IL-1β (500 pg/mL) + Pr (10 ^-6 M). Activin A and FS secretion and mRNA expression were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Pr (10 ^-7 M, 10 ^-6 M) significantly increased activin A secretion and mRNA expression from HESCs, but E2 did not show remarkable effects. The addition of IL-1β (P< .001), IL- 1β + E2 (P < .01), and IL-1β + Pr (P< .001). significantly stimulated activin A secretion and mRNA expression, compared to untreated cells. Activin A expression and secretion after the coincubation of IL-1β+ Pr were significantly higher than after IL-1βand IL-1β+ E2 stimuli ( P< .01 and P< .001, respectively). Neither Pr nor E2 and IL-1β had a significant effect on FS secretion and expression. IL-1βand Pr stimulated activin A but not FS secretion from cultured HESCs, and the effect of IL-1βwas augmented by Pr. These findings, together with the evidence that activin A is involved in trophoblast implantation, suggest the existence of a complex cross-talk by which the ovary, through Pr secretion, and the embryo, through IL-1β production, may trigger the endometrial induction of activin A and consequently timing implantation.

Keywords

Activin A follistatin cytokines embryo pregnancy implantation

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Interleukin 1β and Progesterone Stimulate Activin A Expression and Secretion From Cultured Human Endometrial Stromal Cells

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