Prostaglandin Receptors: New Hope for Women with Infertility

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Prostaglandin receptors are responsible for successful embryo implantation, and new research from Kumamoto University has revealed that these receptors in the uterus enhance the important process of decidualization ().

Decidualization is a process that takes place in the endometrium for the blastocyst to implant in the uterus, and it is essential for a healthy pregnancy.

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Role of Prostaglandin Receptors in Embryo Implantation

While prostaglandins are known for their role in the body's response to injury, causing fever and pain, they are also involved in reproductive processes including childbirth.

Previously, the exact role of prostaglandins in embryo implantation was unclear. In the study led by Professor Yukihiko Sugimoto and Assistant Professor Tomoaki Inazumi, the team found that two types of prostaglandins-PGD2 and PGE2-produced in the uterus early in pregnancy activate the receptors, DP and EP4. These receptors also initiate the formation of tissue that supports embryo implantation.

Improving Embryo Implantation by Stimulating Decidualization

The team discovered that decidualization is enhanced when either the DP or EP4 receptor is stimulated, allowing the embryo to implant more effectively. This further implies that both PGD2-DP and PGE2-EP4 receptor pathways compensate for each other's function.

This groundbreaking discovery suggests that boosting these pathways with specialized drugs, known as DP/EP4 agonists, could help women struggling with infertility due to implantation issues.

Professor Sugimoto, the research team leader at the Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, remarked, "This approach may provide new possibilities for fertility treatments, offering hope to couples facing implantation challenges."

This novel understanding of how prostaglandin receptors aid in implantation paves the way for innovative infertility therapies. It has the potential to transform reproductive medicine by improving the chances of pregnancy for many individuals.

Reference:

1. Uterine prostaglandin DP receptor induced upon implantation contributes to decidualization together with EP4 receptor - (https:www.jlr.org/article/S0022-2275(24)00141-X/fulltext)

Source: Eurekalert