The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2024 Apr 4;22(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s12958-024-01205-x.
Inadequate endometrial receptivity often results in embryo implantation failure and miscarriage. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a key signaling molecule secreted during early embryonic development, which regulates embryonic maternal interface signaling and promotes embryo implantation. This study aimed to examine the impact of hCG on endometrial receptivity and its underlying mechanisms. An exploratory study was designed, and endometrial samples were obtained from women diagnosed with simple tubal infertility or male factor infertile (n = 12) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF, n = 10). Using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting, luteinizing hormone (LH)/hCG receptor (LHCGR) levels and autophagy were detected in the endometrial tissues. Subsequently, primary endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) were isolated from these control groups and treated with hCG to examine the presence of LHCGR and markers of endometrial receptivity (HOXA10, ITGB3, FOXO1, LIF, and L-selectin ligand) and autophagy-related factors (Beclin1, LC3, and P62). The findings revealed that the expressions of receptivity factors, LHCGR, and LC3 were reduced in the endometrial tissues of women with RIF compared with the control group, whereas the expression of P62 was elevated. The administration of hCG to ESCs specifically activated LHCGR, stimulating an increase in the endometrial production of HOXA10, ITGB3, FOXO1, LIF and L-selectin ligands. Furthermore, when ESCs were exposed to 0.1 IU/mL hCG for 72 h, the autophagy factors Beclin1 and LC3 increased within the cells and P62 decreased. Moreover, the apoptotic factor Bax increased and Bcl-2 declined. However, when small interfering RNA was used to knock down LHCGR, hCG was less capable of controlling endometrial receptivity and autophagy molecules in ESCs. In addition, hCG stimulation enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and mTOR proteins. These results suggest that women with RIF exhibit lower levels of LHCGR and compromised autophagy function in their endometrial tissues. Thus, hCG/LHCGR could potentially improve endometrial receptivity by modulating autophagy and apoptosis.
子宫内膜容受性不足常导致胚胎着床失败和流产。人绒毛膜促性腺激素(hCG)是胚胎早期发育过程中分泌的关键信号分子,它调节胚胎-母体界面信号,并促进胚胎着床。本研究旨在探讨 hCG 对子宫内膜容受性的影响及其潜在机制。设计了一项探索性研究,从诊断为单纯输卵管性不孕或男性因素不孕的妇女(n=12)和复发性着床失败(RIF,n=10)中获取子宫内膜样本。使用反转录定量 PCR 和蛋白质印迹法检测子宫内膜组织中的促黄体激素(LH)/hCG 受体(LHCGR)水平和自噬。随后,从这些对照组中分离出原代子宫内膜基质细胞(ESCs),并用 hCG 处理,以检测 LHCGR 和子宫内膜容受性标志物(HOXA10、ITGB3、FOXO1、LIF 和 L-选择素配体)以及自噬相关因子(Beclin1、LC3 和 P62)的存在。结果表明,与对照组相比,RIF 妇女的子宫内膜组织中,受体因子、LHCGR 和 LC3 的表达减少,而 P62 的表达增加。hCG 对 ESCs 的给药特异性地激活了 LHCGR,刺激子宫内膜中 HOXA10、ITGB3、FOXO1、LIF 和 L-选择素配体的产生增加。此外,当 ESCs 暴露于 0.1 IU/mL hCG 72 小时时,细胞内的自噬因子 Beclin1 和 LC3 增加,而 P62 减少。此外,凋亡因子 Bax 增加,Bcl-2 减少。然而,当使用小干扰 RNA 敲低 LHCGR 时,hCG 对 ESCs 中子宫内膜容受性和自噬分子的控制能力降低。此外,hCG 刺激增强了 ERK1/2 和 mTOR 蛋白的磷酸化。这些结果表明,RIF 妇女的子宫内膜组织中 LHCGR 水平较低,自噬功能受损。因此,hCG/LHCGR 可能通过调节自噬和凋亡来改善子宫内膜容受性。