Platelets reduce oxidative stress damage in human endometrial stromal cells in vitro.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Do platelets exert a protective effect against oxidative stress in human endometrial stromal cells (HESC) in vitro?

DESIGN

An in-vitro oxidative stress model was developed in HESC by exposing them to varying concentrations (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 μM) of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Rat platelets were collected and co-cultured with oxidatively damaged HESC, and changes in viability, apoptosis rate, reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations, apoptosis-related proteins, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signalling pathway activation, and inflammatory cytokine profiles were measured systematically using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blot analyses.

RESULTS

Platelet treatment reduced the apoptosis rate and intracellular ROS accumulation significantly compared with the H2O2 group (ROS: P ≤ 0.0003; apoptosis rate: P < 0.0001), and decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion (P ≤ 0.0129). Similarly, platelets enhanced superoxide dismutase activity and restored viability (P ≤ 0.0459). Furthermore, exposure to platelets reversed the H2O2-induced increase in Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax)/B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2) protein ratio (P = 0.0029), and upregulated the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT in the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway (P ≤ 0.0457).

CONCLUSION

These results showed that platelets can mitigate oxidative stress and enhance endometrial resilience, suggesting that they have high potential for clinical management of thin endometrium.