Low-dose mifepristone increases uterine expression of aquaporin 1/aquaporin 2 at the time of implantation
Zhou, F.; Liang, Y.; Qian, Z.-D.; Zhuang, Y.-L.; Chen, Y.-Z.; Lv, B.-J.; Zhou, C.-Y.; Chen, X.-D.; Huang, L.-L.
Contraception 87(6): 844-849
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1879-0518 PMID: 23121829 DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2012.09.035Document Number: 579862
The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism by which low-dose mifepristone serves as an antiimplantation contraceptive drug. A human endometrial explant system was used to study the effects of low-dose mifepristone (65 nmol/L and 200 nmol/L) on expression of the water channel family aquaporins, aquaporin-1 and aquaporin-2 (AQP1/AQP2), at the time of implantation. Endometrial samples from 17 normally cycling patients at the "window of implantation" were treated with different concentrations of mifepristone. The protein and mRNA expression of AQP1/AQP2 in the endometrium was examined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. The IHC and RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that expression of AQP1/AQP2 was increased by mifepristone in a dose-dependent manner, with the highest AQP1/AQP2 expression levels detected in subjects treated with 200-nmol/L mifepristone. Low-dose mifepristone may negatively regulate implantation by increasing AQP1/AQP2 protein and mRNA expression. The findings from this study provide further evidence to support the potential contraceptive activity of low-dose mifepristone.
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