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Published on: June 24, 2020
Postgestational effects of macrophage migration inhibitory factor on embryonic implantation in mice
Patrick Kibangou Bondza1, Christine N Metz, Ali Akoum
1Laboratoire d'Endocrinologie de la Reproduction, Centre de Recherche, Hôpital Saint-François d'Assise, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval Québec, QC, Canada.
Objective:
To investigate in vivo the effects of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) on endometrial receptivity and embryonic implantation.
Design:
A murine experimental model.
Setting:
Animal facilities at Research Center of Saint-François d'Assise Hospital.
Animal(S):
Ten-week-old B6C3F-1 female mice.
Intervention(S):
Intraperitoneal injections of recombinant mouse MIF or saline (control) the day after successful mating and during the peri-implantation period.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Markers of uterine receptivity, including integrins and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry.
Result(S):
Quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that MIF induced a marked increase in alpha(v) (alphav), beta3 (beta3) integrin subunits and VEGF mRNA, and protein expression in the endometrium. The MIF (10 microg/mL) significantly increased the number of von Willebrand factor-stained microvessels, and a significant correlation between VEGF expression and the number of von Willebrand factor-stained vessels was observed. Moreover, a tendency for an enhanced pregnancy rate (PR) in MIF-treated mice was seen compared with controls.
Conclusion(S):
These findings reveal that after gestation, MIF may play an important role in endometrial receptivity and embryonic implantation.
