Li GuoHua, Huang Wei, Xia QingJie, Yang KaiXuan, Liu RaoFang, Zhu HuiLi, Jiang Wei
Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Sci China C Life Sci. 2008 Feb;51(2):111-9. doi: 10.1007/s11427-008-0027-7.
Decidualization is accompanied by extensive angiogenesis, which is an essential step in the maturation of new blood vessels in mammalian pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine a distribution of uNK cells (CD56(+) uNK or CD56(bright) cells) in human decidua of the first-trimester pregnancy, and investigate whether uNK cells in human decidua could express vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) and/or angiopoietin2 (Ang2). Our immunohistochemical staining results demonstrated that a great amount of uNK (CD56(+)) cells scattered throughout the decidual stroma and near endometrial gland and spiral vessels in human decidua. The protein expression of VEGF-A and Ang2 was detected in decidual stroma cells, capillary endothelial cells and glandular cells in tissue specimens. There was a positive correlation between microvessel density (MVD) and the number of the CD56-positive uNK cells in decidual stroma, and also between the number of the CD56-positive uNK cells and VEGF-A protein expression in the tissue. In addition, we found that uNK cells in human decidua could express VEGF-A mRNA, but not Ang2 mRNA, in isolated uNK cells in human decidua of the first-trimester gestation by combination of LCM and Nested-PCR. Our study indicated that uNK cells, through expressing VEGF-A, may play an important role in the angiogenic response at the time of human decidualization and early placenta development.
蜕膜化伴随着广泛的血管生成，这是哺乳动物妊娠中新血管成熟的关键步骤。本研究旨在确定早孕第一阶段人蜕膜中uNK细胞（CD56(+) uNK或CD56(bright)细胞）的分布，并研究人蜕膜中的uNK细胞是否能表达血管内皮生长因子（VEGF-A）和/或血管生成素2（Ang2）。我们的免疫组织化学染色结果表明，大量uNK（CD56(+)）细胞散在于人蜕膜的蜕膜基质中以及靠近子宫内膜腺体和螺旋血管处。在组织标本的蜕膜基质细胞、毛细血管内皮细胞和腺细胞中检测到了VEGF-A和Ang2的蛋白表达。微血管密度（MVD）与蜕膜基质中CD56阳性uNK细胞数量之间存在正相关，并且组织中CD56阳性uNK细胞数量与VEGF-A蛋白表达之间也存在正相关。此外，通过激光捕获显微切割（LCM）和巢式PCR相结合的方法，我们发现在早孕第一阶段人蜕膜中分离出的uNK细胞中，uNK细胞可表达VEGF-A mRNA，但不表达Ang2 mRNA。我们的研究表明，uNK细胞通过表达VEGF-A，可能在人蜕膜化和早期胎盘发育时的血管生成反应中发挥重要作用。
