Protective Effects of Baicalin on Decidua Cells of LPS-Induced Mice Abortion

Journal of Immunology Research, Mar 2014

The study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of Baicalin on decidual cells of LPS-induced abortion mice. In the in vitro experiment, the decidual cells were cultured by uterus tissue mass cultivation sampled at day 6 of pregnancy, and gradient concentrations of LPS were used to determine the optimal LPS concentration of the injured decidual cells model. The injured decidual cells were treated with Baicalin (4 μg/mL) to determine the protective role of Baicalin. In the in vivo experiment, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was injected intravenously via the tail vein to induce abortion at day 6 of pregnancy, and the mice were given different concentrations of Baicalin by oral gavage consecutively at days 7 to 8 of pregnancy. On day 9 of gestation, the mice were sacrificed. The TNF and progesterone contents in the serum were assayed by ELISA. The results clearly revealed that Baicalin can prevent the injury to decidual cells from LPS dose dependently, TNF was decreased significantly compared to LPS group, and there was no effect on the progesterone. These findings suggest that Baicalin has protective effects on the injured decidual cells in the pregnant mice.

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Protective Effects of Baicalin on Decidua Cells of LPS-Induced Mice Abortion

Protective Effects of Baicalin on Decidua Cells of LPS-Induced Mice Abortion Xiaodan Wang,1 Yantao Zhao,1 and Xiuhui Zhong1,2 1College of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071001, China 2Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding 071001, China Received 1 January 2014; Revised 3 March 2014; Accepted 5 March 2014; Published 31 March 2014 Academic Editor: Mario Clerici Copyright © 2014 Xiaodan Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract The study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of Baicalin on decidual cells of LPS-induced abortion mice. In the in vitro experiment, the decidual cells were cultured by uterus tissue mass cultivation sampled at day 6 of pregnancy, and gradient concentrations of LPS were used to determine the optimal LPS concentration of the injured decidual cells model. The injured decidual cells were treated with Baicalin (4 μg/mL) to determine the protective role of Baicalin. In the in vivo experiment, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was injected intravenously via the tail vein to induce abortion at day 6 of pregnancy, and the mice were given different concentrations of Baicalin by oral gavage consecutively at days 7 to 8 of pregnancy. On day 9 of gestation, the mice were sacrificed. The TNF and progesterone contents in the serum were assayed by ELISA. The results clearly revealed that Baicalin can prevent the injury to decidual cells from LPS dose dependently, TNF was decreased significantly ( ? < 0 . 0 1 )   compared to LPS group, and there was no effect on the progesterone. These findings suggest that Baicalin has protective effects on the injured decidual cells in the pregnant mice. 1. Introduction Spontaneous abortions represent a common form of embryonic death caused by early pregnancy failure [1], and many factors are thought to be involved in this process, such as chromosomal and structural abnormalities and inflammation [2]. Most researches have focused on uterine decidual cells, which are known to play a major role in fetal development and survival. Decidua is the maternal tissue which depends on the levels of progesterone and estrogen in circulation for growth after blastocyst implants the endometrium. Decidua and trophoblast form the maternal portion of the placenta [3]. To protect the mother from the onslaught of invasive trophoblasts migrating toward the uterine spiral arteries, the endometrial stroma transforms itself into a dense cellular matrix known as the “deciduas” [4]. The formation of the decidua involves proliferation and differentiation. To accommodate the developing conceptus, a great number of decidua cells must die [5]. However, the overinjury of decidua cells will not be conductive to fetal nutrient supply and maintenance of immune microenvironment, which leads to the failure of pregnancy. Bacterial LPS acting via toll-like receptors is required for early pregnancy failure in several murine abortion models [6]. Endotoxin (a component of the Gram-negative bacterial wall) is a potent inflammogen and is associated with the release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNF [7]. Certain cytokines, such as IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10, seem to favor pregnancy success, whereas others, such as TNF and IFN-γ, are harmful to the embryo [8]. Baicalin is the main component of Huang Qin (Radix scutellariae), which has been commonly used in clinics as an antiabortive herb in China. Qin et al. [9] showed that Baicalin could make G0/G1 phase cells transition into the S phase and inhibit endometrial apoptosis induced by LPS. The reason for this may be that Baicalin can react antagonistically with the endotoxin LPS directly or decrease the proinflammatory cytokines. Some studies have demonstrated that Baicalin can adjust the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance and endocrine immune network, in the implantation and gestational periods [10]. Despite the existence of some reports on the antiabortive effects of Baicalin, only very limited research has been conducted into its mechanisms of protection on decidual cells against LPS. In the current experiment, we systematically investigated the role of Baicalin in protecting the decidual cells treated by LPS in vitro and in vivo and also its influence on the contents of TNF and progesterone. 2. Materials and Methods2.1. Treatment of Animals Eight-to-ten-week-old Kunming male and female mice were purchased from the Experimental Animal Center of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang City, China. The mice were housed in a controlled environment (22~24°C), conditions of light (12 h light and 12 h darkness), and with free access to standard mouse food and water. Pregnancies were obtained by housing one female with one male; the females (...truncated)


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Xiaodan Wang, Yantao Zhao, Xiuhui Zhong. Protective Effects of Baicalin on Decidua Cells of LPS-Induced Mice Abortion, Journal of Immunology Research, 2014, 2014, DOI: 10.1155/2014/859812