A joint study by Azabu University and Tokushima Bunri University has revealed that zinc uptake into endometrial cells is essential for embryo implantation, the first step in pregnancy.
Infertility has become a major social issue, and one of the reasons why people are unable to give birth despite undergoing infertility treatment is recurrent pregnancy loss (repeated miscarriages and stillbirths despite being able to become pregnant). It is believed that recurrent pregnancy loss is caused by chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo, but the causes on the mother's side have not yet been clarified.
In addition, although it is known that a deficiency of zinc, an essential mineral, can make it difficult to become pregnant, the detailed role of zinc in pregnancy was unknown.
In this study, we focused on the zinc transporter ZIP10, which is responsible for taking up zinc (ions) into uterine cells. As a result of examining the fertility and responsiveness to female hormones in mice lacking ZIP10 in endometrial cells, we found that although the initial reaction of embryo implantation was observed, the embryo was unable to invade the endometrium, resulting in implantation failure, which resulted in incomplete placental formation and infertility such as miscarriage and recurrent pregnancy loss. We found that the reason for this was that the lack of ZIP10 in endometrial cells impaired the uptake of zinc (ions) in uterine cells, causing abnormalities in the signal transduction of progesterone, a female hormone important for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy.
They found that zinc (ions) controls the nucleocytoplasmic transport of a zinc finger transcription factor called GLI1 not only in mice but also in human endometrial cells, demonstrating at the molecular level that zinc is essential for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy.
Zinc cannot be produced in the body and must be taken in through the diet, but it has been reported that many adult women suffer from latent zinc deficiency. The results of this study have once again demonstrated the importance of zinc intake for women hoping to become pregnant.
Paper information:[PNAS Nexus] Endometrial zinc transporter Slc39a10/Zip10 is indispensable for progesterone responsiveness and successful pregnancy in mice
