Endocannabinoid system characterization in decidual tissues from 15-day pregnant mice.

FELISA M. HERRERO LO GIUDICE; MANUEL L. WOLFSON; CAROLINA MARVALDI; AISEMBERG JULIETA; JULIETA A. SCHANDER; ANA M. FRANCHI

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Congreso de las ociedades Argentinas de Investigación Clínica, de Inmunología y de Fisiología; 2018

ociedades Argentinas de Investigación Clínica, de Inmunología y de Fisiología

Endocannabinoids,like anandamide (AEA), are the endogenous ligands for cannabinoids receptorsCB1 and CB2 that are part of the endocannabinoidsystem (ECS).Similarly to prostaglandins, endocannabinoids are implicated in differentaspects of reproduction, such as maintenance of pregnancy and parturition. Inour laboratory, we have previously seen that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) systemicadministration increased the level of prostaglandin F2α production and theprotein level of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in deciduas from 7-day pregnant mice. Theaim of the present study was to investigate thepresence and possible modulation of the ECS in decidual tissue in an LPS-inducedpreterm labor model.Wedemonstrated the presence of ECS in deciduas from pregnant Balb/c mice in15-day of gestation, comprising the enzyme that synthesizes AEA, (N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine-specificphospholipase D, NAPE-PLD,), the enzyme that hydrolase AEA (fatty acid amidehydrolase, FAAH), and the receptors CB1 and CB2. When we administred LPSintraperitonealy on 15 day of pregnancy we observed anincrease in COX-2 decidual protein levels vs deciduas from control 15-daypregnant mice (p<0.05).This could be associated with an increase of prostaglandin levels. Furthermore,we utilized an in vitro model to evaluate COX-2 expression. Briefly, deciduafrom 15-day pregnant mice were obtained and cultured in presence or not of LPSfor 6 hours. Consistently with our previously results with observed an increasein COX-2 protein levels in 15-day of pregnant mice decidual explants (p<0.05).  In summary, we showed that the ECS is present indecidual tissue and we proposed an in vitro approach to study the changesinduced by LPS and its possible modulation for the ECS.