Ovarian Stimulation in Mice Resulted in Abnormal Placentation through Its Effects on Proliferation and Cytokine Production of Uterine NK Cells

Ovarian stimulation is associated with an increased incidence of abnormal placentation. Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are the major subpopulation of decidual immune cells, which are crucial for placentation. In a previous study, we found that ovarian stimulation impairs uNK cell density on gestation day (GD) 8.5 in mice. However, it was not clear how ovarian stimulation led to a reduction in the density of uNK cells. In this study, we constructed two mouse models, an in vitro mouse embryo transfer model and an estrogen-stimulated mouse model. We used HE and PAS glycogen staining, immunohistochemical techniques, q-PCR, Western blot, and flow cytometry to analyze the mouse decidua and placenta, and the results showed that SO resulted in a fetal weight reduction, abnormal placental morphology, decreased placental vascular density, and abnormal density and function of uNK cells. Our results suggest that ovarian stimulation resulted in aberrant estrogen signaling and may contribute to the disorder of uNK cells caused by ovarian stimulation. Together, these results provide new insights into the mechanisms of aberrant maternal endocrine environments and abnormal placentation.

DSCs; ER-α; cytokines; decidua; placentation; uNK.