@article{Zarei_Aboutorabi_Rashidi_Eskandari_Nikpour_2020, title={Evaluation of vascular endothelial growth factor A and leukemia inhibitory factor expressions at the time of implantation in diabetic rats following treatment with Metformin and Pioglitazone}, volume={13}, url={https://knepublishing.com/index.php/ijrm/article/view/7666}, DOI={10.18502/ijrm.v13i9.7666}, abstractNote={<p><strong>Background:</strong> Implantation requires intimate crosstalk between the embryo and uterus for a successful establishment of pregnancy. Type 2 diabetes mellitus may lead to implantation failure. The effect of diabetes and its therapeutic drugs on implantation is still largely unclear.</p> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> To assess the endometrial expression changes of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), at the time of implantation in diabetic rats following treatment with Metformin and Pioglitazone.</p> <p><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> Twenty-eight 6-8-wk-old Wistar female rats weighing 200- 250 gr were divided into four groups (n = 7/each). Type 2 diabetes was induced and Metformin and Pioglitazone were applied for 4 wk. The expression of VEGFA and LIF was measured by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong> The relative expression of VEGFA transcript was higher in the diabetic (p = 0.02) and Metformin-treated (p = 0.04) rats compared to the control group. Furthermore, the VEGFA transcript level significantly reduced in Pioglitazone-treated diabetic rats (p = 0.03). LIF expression was elevated in the Metformin- and the Pioglitazone-treated rats and reduced in the diabetic group in comparison with the control group. Compared to the diabetic rats, the expression of LIF was significantly elevated in the Metformin- (p = 0.01) and Pioglitazone-treated (p = 0.03) groups.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The expressions of LIF and VEGFA were altered in diabetic rats during implantation which may be associated with diabetic-related infertility. Pioglitazone is able to restore the VEGFA and LIF expressions to their baseline levels more efficiently than Metformin.</p> <p><em><strong>Key words:</strong> Embryo implantation, Leukemia inhibitory factor, Vascular endothelial growth factor A, Metformin, Pioglitazone, Rats.</em></p&gt;}, number={9}, journal={International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM)}, author={Zarei, Ronak and Aboutorabi, Roshanak and Rashidi, Bahman and Eskandari, Nahid and Nikpour, Parvaneh}, year={2020}, month={Sep.}, pages={713–722} }