The human endometrium undergoes to a complex series of proliferative and secretory changes in each menstrual cycle and displays only a short period of receptivity, known as the "window of implantation", necessary for the implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus. The implantation process occurs in a sequential manner, leading to the establishment of pregnancy. Morphofunctional changes during...

Abstract Adrenomedullin (ADM) is an evolutionarily conserved multi-functional peptide hormone in mammalian species. The implantation sites of conceptuses (embryo/fetus and its extra-embryonic membranes) pregnant Adm+/− female mice are abnormally spaced leading to fetal crowding, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) increases pregnancy loss. As litter-bearing species, pigs exhibit a high incid...

Despite exhaustive studies, molecular mechanisms governing blastocyst formation, implantation to the uterine endometrium and placentation have not been definitively characterized. GATA family proteins are a group of zinc finger transcription factors, for which gene ablations eventually result in embryonic death later in pregnancy. These findings suggested that GATA factors are not essential for...

The human endometrium undergoes to a complex series of proliferative and secretory changes in each menstrual cycle and displays only a short period of receptivity, known as the “window of implantation”, necessary for the implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus. The implantation process occurs in a sequential manner, leading to the establishment of pregnancy. Morphofunctional changes during...

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 199 I. THE LEGAL BACKGROUND ........................................................ 200 II. THE SCIENCE............................................................................ 204 A. Insemination...................................................................... 205 B. Form...

BACKGROUND Hormonal modulation of the endometrium towards receptivity is well established; however, the role of embryonic stimuli in modulation of the endometrium prior to implantation, especially in primates, is unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the endometrial histology when the embryo was present in its vicinity prior to implantation. METHODS Preimplantation factor (PIF...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the embryonic and/or endometrial molecular mechanisms underlying the antiimplantation effect of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). DESIGN Controlled experiment. SETTING Animal facilities at Stanford University and laboratories of the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad and the University of Sydney. ANIMAL(S) Twelve-week-old B6C3F-1 female mice. INTERVE...

The mycotoxin citrinin (CTN), a natural contaminant in foodstuffs and animal feeds, exerts cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on various mammalian cells and embryos. A previous investigation by our group revealed potentially hazardous effects of CTN on mouse oocyte maturation and pre- and post-implantation embryo development via the induction of apoptosis. The present study showed that CTN induces...

Maspin (Mp) is a member of the serpin family with inhibitory functions against cell migration, metastasis and angiogenesis. To identify its role in embryonic development in vivo, we generated maspin knockout mice by gene targeting. In this study, we showed that homozygous loss of maspin expression was lethal at the peri-implantation stage. Maspin was specifically expressed in the visceral endod...

The pregnancy complication preeclampsia (PE), which occurs in approximately 3% to 8% of human pregnancies, is characterized by placental pathologies that can lead to significant fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Currently, the only known cure is delivery of the placenta. As the etiology of PE remains unknown, it is vital to find models to study this common syndrome. Here we show that ...