Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in XXXX blastocysts during implantation: modulation by steroid hormones.

@entity1420 @entity2931 @entity634 @entity19 @entity777
PROBLEM: Expression and hormonal regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and their role in blastocyst activation and implantation is poorly known. The present study is aimed at analysing the expression and hormonal modulation of two pro-inflammatory cytokines [ @entity634 ( @entity634 ) and @entity777 ] in @entity19 blastocysts during implantation. METHOD OF STUDY: Blastocyst-uterine interactions are inhibited by @entity1420 during implantation and subsequent treatment with @entity2931 triggers events that allow implantation to begin. Using this delayed implantation @entity19 model, dormant and activated blastocysts were recovered from @entity19 treated with @entity1420 alone and @entity1420 plus @entity2931 therapy, respectively. Expression of @entity634 and @entity777 messenger RNA (mRNA) was analysed in normal, dormant and activated blastocysts by in situ hybridization using specific labelled sense and antisense RNA probes, and the protein expression of the same was analysed by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: In situ hybridization revealed @entity634 and @entity777 mRNA localization in normal, dormant and activated blastocysts and a differential expression was observed in relation to the exposure to @entity1420 and @entity2931 . There was less expression in the dormant blastocysts as compared with the normal and activated ones, and the pattern was similar for both cytokines. Immunocytochemistry also revealed a similar pattern of protein expression to that of the mRNA expression for both the cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: Using a delayed implantation model, we show that @entity19 blastocysts express both @entity634 and @entity777 mRNA as well as their respective proteins. Both mRNA and the protein levels of @entity634 and @entity777 seem to be hormonally modulated in @entity19 blastocysts during implantation.
