Amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal cells and their conditioned media: potential candidates for uterine regenerative therapy in the horse.
Authors: Corradetti Bruna, Correani Alessio, Romaldini Alessio, Marini Maria Giovanna, Bizzaro Davide, Perrini Claudia, Cremonesi Fausto, Lange-Consiglio Anna
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary Endometrosis—chronic inflammation of the equine endometrium—remains a significant cause of subfertility and pregnancy loss in mares, yet therapeutic options remain limited. Researchers compared amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal cells (AMCs) with endometrial cells from cycling mares, hypothesising that AMCs' similarity to the pregnant uterine environment could make them suitable for regenerative therapy. Using gene expression analysis and in vitro co-culture studies, the team demonstrated that AMCs express key pregnancy-associated genes (including progesterone receptors PR, PGRMC1 and mPR) and inflammatory mediators (PTGS2) comparable to endometrial tissue, and crucially, maintained progesterone receptor expression through multiple culture passages when supplemented with progesterone. When AMCs were cultured with endometrial cells either through direct contact or via conditioned medium, they significantly increased endometrial cell proliferation, indicating that soluble paracrine factors—rather than direct cell-to-cell interaction alone—drive the regenerative effect. These findings suggest AMCs and their secreted products could therapeutically address the impaired endometrial regeneration underlying endometrosis, offering a cell-based treatment strategy to restore uterine receptivity in subfertile mares.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •AMCs and their secreted factors show promise for treating endometrosis in mares by stimulating endometrial cell proliferation—potentially useful for cases of pregnancy failure due to poor endometrial function
- •The therapeutic effect appears to work via soluble mediators rather than direct cell contact, suggesting conditioned media alone could be a practical delivery method without requiring cell transplantation
- •Further clinical trials are needed before this approach can be recommended, as this is fundamental research rather than clinical validation
Key Findings
- •Amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal cells (AMCs) express genes involved in early pregnancy and pre-implantation conceptus development, with transcriptional profile similar to endometrial tissue
- •AMCs express higher levels of PTGS2 (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) than endometrial cells, confirming their role as inflammation mediators
- •Progesterone supplementation maintained expression of progesterone receptors (PR, PGRMC1, mPR) in AMCs over 5 passages in vitro, supporting endometrial receptivity
- •AMC-conditioned medium significantly increased endometrial cell (EDC) proliferation in co-culture, demonstrating soluble factors mediate the therapeutic effect