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Gonnella F, Konstantinidou F, Donato M, Gatta DMP, Peserico A, Barboni B, Stuppia L, Nothnick WB, Gatta V. The Molecular Link between Obesity and the Endometrial Environment: A Starting Point for Female Infertility. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6855. [PMID: 38999965 PMCID: PMC11241599 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25136855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Female infertility constitutes a growing health problem in developing countries and could be associated with several possible causes including reproductive disorders, congenital malformations, infections and hormonal dysfunction. Nonetheless, a series of additional factors can also negatively impact female fertility and are represented by chronic exposure to environmental pollutants, stress, unhealthy lifestyle choices such as cigarette smoking and, among others, obesity. Excess weight is associated with several chronic diseases, and growing evidence demonstrates that it can compromise reproductive physiology due to its influence on endometrial gene expression and receptivity. Thus, the current review of the literature mainly focused on how obesity can impair uterine receptivity, mostly from a molecular point of view throughout the window of implantation (WOI) period at an endometrial level. It was also highlighted that an obesity-related increase in adipose tissue may lead to a modulation in the expression of multiple pathways, which could cause a hostile endometrial environment with a consequent negative impact on the uterine receptivity and the establishment of pregnancy. Thanks to the use of the endometrial receptivity assay (ERA), a specific microarray that studies the expression of a series of genes, it is now possible to evaluate the endometrial status of patients with infertility problems in a more detailed manner. Moreover, female fertility and endometrial receptivity could be affected by endometriosis, a chronic benign gynecological disease, whose cause-and-effect relationship to obesity is still uncertain. Therefore, further investigations would be required to better elucidate these mechanisms that govern embryo implantation and could be potentially useful for the generation of new strategies to overcome implantation failure and improve the pregnancy rates in obese women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Gonnella
- Department of Psychological Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (F.G.); (F.K.); (M.D.); (L.S.)
- Unit of Molecular Genetics, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (A.P.); (B.B.)
| | - Fani Konstantinidou
- Department of Psychological Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (F.G.); (F.K.); (M.D.); (L.S.)
- Unit of Molecular Genetics, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Marisa Donato
- Department of Psychological Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (F.G.); (F.K.); (M.D.); (L.S.)
- Unit of Molecular Genetics, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (A.P.); (B.B.)
| | | | - Alessia Peserico
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (A.P.); (B.B.)
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (A.P.); (B.B.)
| | - Liborio Stuppia
- Department of Psychological Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (F.G.); (F.K.); (M.D.); (L.S.)
- Unit of Molecular Genetics, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Warren B. Nothnick
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Valentina Gatta
- Department of Psychological Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (F.G.); (F.K.); (M.D.); (L.S.)
- Unit of Molecular Genetics, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
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Ealy AD, Pate JL, Ron Butler W. A Synopsis of the NE1727 Multistate Project Collection in the Journal of Animal Science. J Anim Sci 2022; 100:skac173. [PMID: 35772764 PMCID: PMC9246652 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skac173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lay Summary
This article provides a synopsis of the collection of papers provided by participants of the NE1727 Multistate project. Five reviews and thirteen primary research articles are included that provide contributions the group has made to understanding the role of the corpus luteum in reproduction, describing how the ovary influences fertility, delineating mechanisms controlling oocyte quality and early embryo development, and exploring new reproductive management schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan D Ealy
- Department of Animal & Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Joy L Pate
- Department of Animal Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - W Ron Butler
- Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA
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