New research is significant for improving the success rate of embryo transfer
In order to improve the success rate of assisted reproductive technology, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine have recently investigated in detail the molecular mechanism of successful embryo implantation. The successful embryo implantation is a necessary process for female fertility. The researchers conducted research on animal models. It was found that the protein follostatin plays a key role in establishing the ability of the uterus to accept embryo implantation. The related research was published in the international journal PNAS. The related research provided later researchers in-depth understanding of the mechanism of successful embryo implantation and development of new models. Animal models to study the reasons for the failure of human embryo implantation provide a new basis and research ideas.
Researcher Diana Monsivais said that the successful implantation of an embryo into the uterine wall is a highly coordinated process, which involves the participation of multiple proteins and the "communication" between the embryo and the mother; if the "communication" fails, the embryo will Does not stick to the wall of the uterus, so new life does not begin to develop. The complex process of embryo implantation in the womb has aroused great interest from many scientists, partly because the success rate of in vitro fertilization is only about 50%. A better understanding of this process is crucial for scientists to effectively improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization. important.
In this study, the researchers engineered mice to lack the protein follostatin in their uterus, with the aim of determining the effect of follostatin on the fertility of female mice. The researchers said that follistatin is very critical after embryo transfer. It can promote decidualization of the uterus, that is, the changes in the uterus are very important for supporting and providing nutrients for the embryo; when decidualization begins, follistatin The level will rise, so the researchers want to know what consequences will happen if the follostatin gene is removed during the decidualization process.
Compared with normal mice, female mice lacking follistatin in the uterus tend to give birth to fewer pups and litters. After careful evaluation of these mice after implantation, the researchers found The embryos do not seem to be attached to the uterine wall of these female mice. They will be suspended in the uterus. Since they cannot be attached to the uterine wall, these embryos will not induce decidualization.
Researcher Martin Matzuk said that follistatin is a very important protein for the successful implantation of mouse embryos. The findings of this study can help us develop new strategies to improve the success rate of human embryo implantation in assisted reproductive technology. I think that embryo implantation is like a black box. The mouse model is a very useful tool that we use. It can help us analyze how the black box works in the human body; the research in this article can also help researchers to effectively identify The development of biomarkers such as follistatin can inform scientists of the best time to transfer embryos into women during in vitro fertilization, which may be of great significance for improving the success rate of embryo transfer.
