Control of leucocyte infiltration into the decidualized mouse uterus

Ovariectomized mice were treated with oestrogen and progesterone on a schedule to mimic early pregnancy. Decidualization was induced with oil and uteri were examined at various times after the last progesterone injection. The first morphological change detected in the uterus of decidualized mice following withdrawal of progesterone was infiltration of leucocytes into the stroma. This preceded overt tissue breakdown and extravasation of blood cells, and did not occur following withdrawal of progesterone without decidualization. It is suggested either that there is a release of a chemoattractant from decidual cells before any morphological changes are apparent or that the signal for attracting the leucocytes is released at the time of decidual induction, but that their migration is suppressed by progesterone.