Ghrelin modulates embryo implantation by different mechanisms: preliminary results

DE LOREDO N; DÍAZ LUJÁN C; LUQUE EM; VINCENTI LM; CANTARELLI V; PONZIO MF; FRETES R; MARTINI AC

Mar del Plata

Congreso; VI Latin American Symposium on Maternal-Fetal Interaction and Placenta (SLIMP) and V Latin American Symposium on Reproductive Immunology (LASRI); 2015

Ghrelin is a gut polypeptide that physiologically increases during gestation. In a previous study we found evidences that support a role of ghrelin, in adequate concentrations, on embryo implantation.Objective: In this study we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which ghrelin modulates mice embryo implantation; using an already validated model of exogenous ghrelin administration or endogenous ghrelin inhibition.Methods: Seventeen female mice (n=4-5/group) were injected s.c., from gestation Day 3 to 7, either with: 1) ghrelin (4 nmol/animal/day), 2) ghrelin antagonist (ant: (D-Lys3)GHRP-6, 6 nmol/animal/day), 3) ghrelin+ant or 4) vehicle (isotonic solution). At Day 8, females were sacrificed and the following parameters were calculated: number of fetuses, implantation/resorption sites, implantation area, endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS/iNOS) activity (by immunohistochemistry), uterine immune response (by PAS reagent and CD3/CD68 immunohistochemistry) and plasma progesterone concentrations (by ELISA).Results: The antagonist administration tended to decrease the number of embryos and uterine weight and significantly (p