Found a protein responsible for conception and infertility in women
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Scientists have found a protein, with a lack of which the uterus is unable to retain the embryo, and excess prevents the conception.
Researchers from the Imperial College of London (Great Britain) tried to deal with inexplicable infertility in 106 women. All the usual causes of permanent failures were tested and rejected by the doctors, while women either did not get pregnant at all, or suffered from permanent miscarriages. The scientists found out that in some patients the epithelial cells lining the uterus contain an increased amount of the SGK1 enzyme; all attempts to get pregnant with these ladies ended in failure. On the other hand, those who had a very low level of enzyme in the finale always had miscarriages.
To confirm the connection of SGK1 with infertility, the researchers put several experiments. Mice, who had been introduced an additional copy of the gene SGK1, really could not bring the offspring. In normal animals, the SGK1 enzyme level fell during the breeding season. From which it was concluded that an elevated level of SGK1 makes the cells of the uterus unprepared to accept an embryo. On the one hand, this allows us to develop a new type of contraceptive that temporarily increases the content of this enzyme, making conception impossible. On the other hand, it opens the way for a new way of treating infertility: it is necessary to create a drug that reduces the level of SGK1.
However, too much drop in the level of this enzyme is also fraught with negative consequences, the authors report in the journal Nature Medicine. When the formation of SGK1 in mice was artificially blocked, the animals had no problems with conception, but they had difficulty in reproducing the offspring. Bleeding was found in the uterus, and the number of young fell sharply. Scientists have linked this to the fact that in such a case the cells of the decaying shell of the uterus, which is formed after fertilization and implantation of the embryo, lose the ability to withstand oxidative stress. The SGK1 enzyme is obviously necessary to protect cells from oxygen radicals. The inability to withstand oxidative stress leads to the fact that the uterus can not hold the fetus.
Thus, the enzyme SGK1 proved to be a rather delicate instrument, determining the readiness of the female organism for conception and pregnancy. According to statistics, one in six women suffers from infertility, and every hundredth - problems with permanent miscarriages. Perhaps, if the doctors can learn how to accurately change the level of this enzyme, it will be possible to cope immediately with both problems.
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