ATP mediates the interaction between human blastocyst and endometrium

Embryo implantation needs a reciprocal interaction between competent embryo and receptive endometrium. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) produced by stressed or injured cells acts as an important signalling molecule. This study aims to investigate whether adenosine triphosphate (ATP) plays an important role in the dialogue of human blastocyst-endometrium.

The concentration of lactate was analysed in culture medium from human embryos collected from in vitro fertilization patients. Extracellular ATP was measured by ATP Bioluminescent Assay Kit. Ishikawa cells and T-HESCs were treated with ATP, ATP receptor antagonist, ATP hydrolysis enzyme or inhibitors of ATP metabolic enzymes. The levels of gene expression were evaluated by real-time PCR and immunoassay.

We showed that injured human endometrial epithelial cells could rapidly release ATP into the extracellular environment as an important signalling molecule. In addition, blastocyst-derived lactate induces the release of non-lytic ATP from human endometrial receptive epithelial cells via connexins. Extracellular ATP stimulates the secretion of IL8 from epithelial cells to promote the process of in vitro decidualization. Extracellular ATP could also directly promote the decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells via P2Y-purinoceptors. More importantly, the supernatants of injured epithelial cells clearly induce the decidualization of stromal cells in time-dependent manner.

Our results suggest that ATP should play an important role in human blastocyst-endometrium dialogue for the initiation of decidualization.