Assessment of the transcription levels for the complement activation control system in eutopic endometrium in women with two or more consecutive miscarriages of unknown etiology

Serum Adipsin Levels throughout Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia

Adipsin is a protease produced at high levels by adipose tissue. It is involved in complement activation and metabolic control. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in adipsin levels during different stages of normal pregnancy, and its association with obstetric outcomes, such as preeclampsia. This nested case-control study in a longitudinal cohort included normal pregnant (n = 54) and preeclamptic (n = 18) women, both followed throughout pregnancy. Additionally, some of the normal pregnant women were followed up three months postpartum (n = 18). Healthy non-pregnant women were also studied during their menstrual cycle (n = 20). The results of this study show that in healthy non-pregnant women, adipsin levels did not change significantly during the menstrual cycle. In normal pregnant women, adipsin levels were lower (p < 0.01) when compared with non-pregnant healthy women, but these serum levels increased again during postpartum (p < 0.001). Adipsin levels were significantly elevated in preeclamptic women in late pregnancy (P < 0.01). A significant correlation was not found between leptin and adipsin during the three periods of gestation studied in healthy pregnant and preeclamptic women. Our results suggest that adipsin may be involved in pregnancy-associated metabolic changes. Moreover, the increase of adipsin levels towards late gestation in preeclamptic women could be related to the pathophysiology of this disease.

Complement in pregnancy: a delicate balance

The complement system is a key component of innate host defence that, under normal conditions, is responsible for the opsonization and destruction of potential pathogens. However, inappropriate or excessive activation of complement can have a detrimental effect on the host and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of numerous disease states. Recently, there has been increasing evidence for a role of the complement system and, in particular, the potent pro-inflammatory anaphylatoxin complement component 5a (C5a) in both normal and complicated pregnancy. The following review describes the results of in vitro, animal, and human clinical studies investigating the role of the complement system in healthy pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage, preterm birth, and preeclampsia.

Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation alters the expression of genes involved in the control of fertility in the bovine uterine endometrium

The potential for dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) to improve reproductive efficiency in cattle has received much interest. The mechanisms by which n-3 PUFA may affect physiological and biochemical processes in key reproductive tissues are likely to be mediated by significant alterations in gene expression. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation on global uterine endometrial gene expression in cattle. Beef heifers were supplemented with a rumen protected source of either a saturated fatty acid (CON; palmitic acid) or high n-3 PUFA (n-3 PUFA; 275 g) diet per animal per day for 45 days and global gene expression was determined in uterine endometrial tissue using an Affymetrix oligonucleotide bovine array. A total of 1,807 (946 up- and 861 downregulated) genes were differentially expressed following n-3 PUFA supplementation. Dietary n-3 PUFA altered numerous cellular processes potentially important in the control of reproduction in cattle. These included prostaglandin biosynthesis, steroidogenesis and transcriptional regulation, while effects on genes involved in maternal immune response and tissue remodeling were also observed. This study provides new insights into the effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on the regulation of gene expression in the bovine uterus.