LPS Administration during Fertilization Affects Epigenetic Inheritance during Embryonic Development

Abstract

Intrauterine inflammation can cause infertility by disrupting reproductive function. The pathogenesis underlying this process may primarily involve endotoxins from lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are produced by Gram-negative bacteria. However, the long-term effects of endotoxins in mammalian pregnancy following LPS exposure during fertilization have not been clarified. In this study, we performed experiments to analyze the influence of LPS on early embryonic development and fetal development in mice. Mice uteruses were examined for the expression of genes related to the inflammatory response. The expression of Il-1β and Il-6 increased following the administration of 200 and 1000 µg/kg LPS. Exposure to LPS using in vitro fertilization (IVF) significantly decreased the embryonic developmental rate. A concentration of 100 µg/kg LPS significantly increased the placental weight and fetal crown –rump length (CRL), whereas a concentration of 200 µg/kg LPS significantly decreased the placenta weight and fetal weight in vivo. These findings indicate that maternal LPS during fertilization affects fetal development until the late stage of pregnancy. Thus, maternal endotoxins may affect epigenetic inheritance during embryonic development from the early to late stages of pregnancy.

Potential Role of Pig UCP3 in Modulating Adipocyte Browning via the Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Signaling Pathway

“…Total RNA was extracted using TRIzol reagent (15596018, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). For cDNA synthesis and real-time PCR, the methods described by Kim et al (2023) were followed [37]. In brief, the total RNA concentration was determined using a Nanodrop (Thermo Fisher Scientific); 1 µg of total RNA was treated with DNase and converted into cDNA using Random Primers (48190011, Thermo Fisher Scientific) and SuperScriptTM II (18064022, Thermo Fisher Scientific) with a GeneAtlas thermal cycler 482 (4990902, ASTEC, Kasuya, Fukuoka, Japan).…”