Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
04:08
Mouse Model of Surgical Uterine Injury and Subsequent Pregnancy Outcomes
Published on: June 27, 2025
927
Human Menstrual Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Cells Improve Mouse Embryonic Development
Marianna Ferreira Gonçalves1, Karina Dutra Asensi1, Anna Luiza Lima Nascimento1
1Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tissue Engineering. Part A
|June 5, 2020
Summary
Mesenchymal stem cells from menstrual blood (mbMSCs) improve embryo development in assisted reproduction. Coculturing embryos with mbMSCs significantly increased blastocyst and hatching rates, offering a novel, personalized approach for in vitro fertilization success.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
Background:
- Improving embryo culture conditions is crucial for successful assisted reproduction.
- Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) derived from menstrual blood (mbMSCs) offer a potential solution due to their endometrial origin.
- Autologous cell sources are desirable for personalized medicine approaches in ART.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze mouse embryo expansion in a direct coculture model with menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (mbMSCs).
- To evaluate the potential of mbMSCs to enhance blastocyst development and hatching rates.
- To explore a novel, noninvasive, and autologous method for improving in vitro fertilization outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of mbMSCs, including morphology, surface markers, and differentiation potential.
- Coculture of two-cell-stage mouse embryos with mbMSCs in GV-Blast medium.
- Comparison of embryo development (blastocyst and hatching rates) between cocultured and control groups.
- Analysis of growth factors and extracellular matrix components in conditioned media and mbMSCs.
Main Results:
- mbMSCs exhibited typical mesenchymal cell characteristics and differentiation capabilities.
- Cocultured embryos showed significantly higher blastocyst formation rates (69.8% vs. 30%) compared to controls.
- A substantially greater percentage of cocultured blastocysts reached the hatching stage (57% vs. 13%).
- Similar levels of key extracellular matrix proteins and growth factors were detected in cocultured and control conditions.
Conclusions:
- Direct coculture with mbMSCs significantly enhances mouse embryo development to blastocyst and hatching stages.
- This mbMSC coculture strategy enriches the embryonic microenvironment, promoting improved embryo development.
- This method represents a novel, easy, noninvasive, and potentially autologous approach to improve assisted reproduction outcomes and personalized medicine.
