Assessment of leukemia inhibitory factor and glycoprotein 130 expression in endometrium and uterine flushing: a possible diagnostic tool for impaired fertility

The study was conducted on 25 infertile women with unexplained infertility for at least two years and 10 normal fertile women as a control group . Endometrial tissue and uterine flushing were obtained. Each tissue specimen was divided into two pieces; one piece was used for histological dating of the endometrium and for immunostaining of progesterone receptors, and the second was used for RNA extraction and PCR assay of LIF and gp130 mRNA expression. Serum estrogen and progesterone were measured for all subjects. LIF mRNA was expressed in the endometrium of all normal fertile women but significantly decreased in infertile women. LIF was not detectable in 88% of infertile women while it was fairly detectable in 12% of them. Gp130 mRNA was hardly detectable in both fertile and infertile women with no difference between them. Infertile women secreted significantly less LIF and gp130 molecules in the uterine flushing compared with normal fertile women.Expression of LIF mRNA in endometrium could be used as a molecular marker of unexplained infertility. Assessment of secreted LIF and gp130 molecules in uterine flushing could be another useful and safe method for predicting successful implantation as well as for diagnosing and eventually treating women with impaired fertility using recombinant human LIF.One in ten couples has problems conceiving. Of these, 25% have unexplained infertility [1]. Embryo implantation is a critical step in establishment of pregnancy. Implantation is the process by which the blastocyst becomes intimately connected with the maternal endometrium (decidua). In humans, the process of implantation can be divided into three phases: apposition, adhesion, and invasion. The opposition comprises the blastocyst orientation in the uterine cavity towards the endometrium. During the adhesive and invasive phases, the blastocyst approaches the epithelium, attaches itself to it, and the embryo trophoblast invades the deciduas. All these steps are controlled by a