New Device Investigates Pregnancy Harming Factors

Uterine environment is as important as the embryo in affecting implantation and pregnancy as several uterine conditions are associated with low pregnancy rates. Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil investigates these uterine factors affecting pregnancy success in cattle using chip that mimics the environment of the tissue lining the inside of the uterus called endometrium reported it as an article in the journal Endocrinology.

The focus of the study is on possible consequences for initial development of the pregnancy due to alterations in levels of insulin and glucose in maternal epithelial cells in direct contact with the embryo and stromal cells acting as support cells.

Changes in insulin levels alter the protein encoding gene in cells that affect the quantitative secretion of proteins associated with signalling pathways that play an important role in early pregnancy success in cattle shifts focus on understanding the factors that cause metabolic stress in the environment that receives the embryo.

To further investigate the signals sent by the embryo to the mother researchers developed a chip like endometrium for growing more than one type of cell using porous membrane partition to exchange information between the two cell types cultured in the different chambers without permitting the cell types to switch positions.

Endometrium being a three-dimensional structure with several types of cells and glands producing factors and nutrients to maintain the pregnancy cannot be investigated using traditional culture method needs innovative method like this to mimic the bovine endometrium for more applied research.

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Source-Medindia