Nrf2/HO-1 pathway is involved the anti-inflammatory action of intrauterine infusion of platelet-rich plasma against lipopolysaccharides in endometritis

Expression patterns of inflammatory and oxidative stress-related genes in the uterine and ovarian tissues of dogs diagnosed with pyometra based on cervical patency status

This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of genes associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in ovarian and uterine tissues of dogs with pyometra, categorized by cervical status (open cervix or closed cervix), which influences disease severity. The control group comprised healthy animals undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. Tissue inflammatory gene expression and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined while microbial and histopathological examinations were conducted, along with immunohistochemical evaluations. In the closed-cervix group, uterine TNF and IL6 were upregulated approximately 10-fold while IL10 was upregulated nearly 5-fold. TNF expression differed remarkably between the pyometra groups. In the closed-cervix group, PTGS2 and HMOX1 were upregulated approximately 5-fold whereas NFE2L2 expression was downregulated. The closed-cervix group also had the highest uterine MDA levels. Regarding ovarian tissue, MDA levels were higher in the closed-cervix group than in the open-cervix group while IL10 expression was lower in the closed-cervix group than the open-cervix group. In the closed-cervix group, NFE2L2 was downregulated whereas HMOX1 was upregulated. Uterine TNF levels were positively correlated with IL6, IL10, PTGS2, and HMOX1, but negatively correlated with NFE2L2. IL6 was positively correlated with IL10, PTGS2, and HMOX1. NFE2L2 was negatively correlated with IL6 and HMOX1. IL10 was positively correlated with PTGS2 and HMOX1. MDA was positively correlated with TNF, IL6, IL10, PTGS2, NFE2L2, and HMOX1. TNF levels were positively correlated with ovarian PTGS2, and with IL6 and NFE2L2. MDA was positively correlated with PTGS2 and HMOX1. MDA could be an important biomarker for understanding the severity of pyometra. Moreover, TNF expression and its relationships with various studied parameters such as IL10 may contribute to treatment and prognostic biomarker studies in closed-cervix pyometra pathology.

Therapeutic effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and their conditioned medium on LPS-induced endometritis in mice

AIM

To explore the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) and their conditioned medium (MSC-CM) in repairing the endometritis mouse model in vivo.

METHODS

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce acute inflammation in endometritis mouse model. Mice were treated in six groups: control group (PBS), model group (LPS), LPS+MSC-CM (6 h) group, LPS+MSC-CM (12 h) group, LPS+MSCs (6 h) group and LPS+MSCs (12 h) group. Morphological and histological changes of mouse uterus were observed, and mouse uterine inflammation index myeloperoxidase (MPO) and related immune index TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β levels were detected by ELISA.

RESULTS

There exist remarkable inflammatory response and an obvious increase in the value of MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the endometritis mouse model compared with the control group. Morphological and histological appearances were relieved after treated with hUC-MSCs and MSC-CM. Besides, the value of MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 showed different degrees of decline. In comparison with LPS+MSC-CM (12 h) and LPS+MSCs (12 h) group, there was significant decrease in inflammatory indicators in LPS+MSC-CM (6 h) and LPS+MSCs (6 h) group.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrauterine infusion of hUC-MSCs and MSC-CM can alleviate LPS induced endometritis.

Platelet rich plasma alleviates endometritis induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice via inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Endometritis is an inflammatory reaction of the lining of uterus, leading to the occurrence of infertility. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been proven to exhibit extremely effective for the treatment of endometrium-associated infertility, but the mechanism of its prevention for endometritis remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of PRP against endometritis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and elucidate the mechanism underlying these effects.

METHODS

Mouse model of endometritis was established by intrauterine perfusion of LPS. PRP intrauterine infusion was administered at 24 h after LPS induction. After another 24 h, the uterine tissues were harvested to observe histopathological changes, production of proinflammatory cytokines, variation of the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor κB (TLR4/NF-κB) signaling pathways, and validated the anti-inflammatory effect of PRP. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and concentration of nitric oxide (NO) were determined using assay kit. Proinflammatory chemokines (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) were measured by ELISA and Real-Time PCR. The activity of TLR4/NF-κB pathway in uterine tissues was measured by Western blotting.

RESULTS

Hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E) appeared that PRP remarkably relieved the impairment of uterine tissues. Detection of MPO activity and concentration of NO revealed that PRP treatment distinctly mitigated infiltration of inflammatory cells in mice with endometritis induced by LPS. PRP treatment significantly affected the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. PRP was also found to suppress LPS-induced activation of TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

CONCLUSION

PRP effectively alleviates LPS-induced endometritis via restraining the signal pathway of TLR4/NF-κB. These findings provide a solid foundation for PRP as a potential therapeutic agent for endometritis.

Value of Intrauterine Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy on Endometrial Receptivity: A Literature Review

Endometrial receptivity is an important factor that influences embryo implantation. Thus, it is important to identify an applicable approach to improve endometrial receptivity in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology. Recently, growing evidence has indicated that intrauterine platelet-rich plasma (PRP) infusion is an effective method to obtain a satisfactory reproductive outcome by increasing endometrial thickness and improving endometrial receptivity. Therefore, the present review aims to outline the possible mechanisms of PRP on endometrial receptivity and summarize the present literature on the effects of PRP therapy in improving endometrial receptivity.

Transcription Factor Nrf2 Modulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Injury in Bovine Endometrial Epithelial Cells

Endometritis in high-yield dairy cows adversely affects lactation length, milk quality, and the economics of dairy products. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in bovine endometrial epithelial cells (BEECs) occurs as a consequence of diverse post-natal stressors, and plays a key role in a variety of inflammatory diseases. Nuclear-factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important protective regulatory factor in numerous inflammatory responses. However, the mechanism by which Nrf2 modulates inflammation by participating in ERS remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to explore the role of Nrf2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury to BEECs and to decipher the underlying molecular mechanisms of this injury. The expression of Nrf2- and ERS-related genes increased significantly in bovine uteri with endometritis. Isolated BEECs were treated with LPS to stimulate the inflammatory response. The expression of Nrf2 was significantly higher in cells exposed to LPS, which also induced ERS in BEECs. Activation of Nrf2 led to enhanced expression of the genes for the inflammation markers TNF-α, p65, IL-6, and IL-8 in BEECs. Moreover, stimulation of Nrf2 was accompanied by activation of ERS. In contrast, Nrf2 knockdown reduced the expression of TNF-α, p65, IL-6, and IL-8. Additionally, Nrf2 knockdown decreased expression of ERS-related genes for the GRP78, PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, and CHOP proteins. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that Nrf2 and ERS are activated during inflammation in BEECs. Furthermore, Nrf2 promotes the inflammatory response by activating the PERK pathway in ERS and inducing apoptosis in BEECs.

Platelet-Rich Plasma Improves Pregnancy Outcomes in Moderate to Severe Intrauterine Adhesion: A Retrospective Cohort Study

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in women with moderate to severe intrauterine adhesion (IUA). A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a reproductive medical center between July 2020 and June 2021 to compare the clinical pregnancy rate of two groups (PRP and non-PRP groups) after hysteroscopic adhesiolysis. A multivariate logistic regression analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to minimize potential bias. According to our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 133 patients were finally enrolled and divided into the PRP group (n = 48) and non-PRP group (n = 85). In the primary comparison, the clinical pregnancy rate in the PRP group was higher than that in the non-PRP group (41.7% vs. 28.2%, p = 0.114), albeit without statistical significance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed, and the results of the adjusted model showed that PRP treatment significantly improved the clinical pregnancy rate (adjusted OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 1.22-7.38, p = 0.017). After PSM, the clinical pregnancy rate was higher in the PRP group than that in the non-PRP group (46.2% vs. 20.5%, p = 0.031). Based on the present study, we concluded that intrauterine perfusion of PRP had great potential in improving the clinical pregnancy rate in patients with moderate to severe IUA. Therefore, we recommend the application of PRP in the treatment of IUA.

Protective effects of chicoric acid on LPS-induced endometritis in mice via inhibiting ferroptosis by Nrf2/HO-1 signal axis

Chicoric acid (CA), a natural phenolic acid extracted from Mediterranean vegetable chicory, has anti-oxidative effect. We aimed to investigate the effects of CA on endometritis and clarify the underlying mechanism. C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups: control group, LPS group, and LPS + CA groups. All mice except control group were infused of LPS into the uterus. The mice of LPS + CA groups were intraperitoneally injected CA 1 h before LPS challenge. CA significantly alleviatedLPS-induced pathological damage, MPO activity, and inflammatory cytokine production. CA significantly suppressed ferroptosis in LPS-induced endometritis. CA also attenuated LPS-induced NF-κB activation. Furthermore, Nrf2 and HO-1 expression were increased by CA. Moreover, the inhibition of CA on LPS-induced endometritis and ferroptosis were markedly prevented in Nrf2 knockdown mice. In conclusion, the results suggested CA protected mice against LPS-induced endometritisthrough inhibiting ferroptosis via Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.