Progesterone and estradiol alleviate Poly I:C-induced immune response in endometrial stromal cells.

Progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) regulate the immune status of the uterus. However, whether P and E2 can affect the immune response of endometrial cell is still unknown. In the study, primary endometrial stromal cells (EndSCs) were treated with Poly(I:C), the pathogen-associated molecular pattern of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, to induce immune response, and then EndSCs were stimulated with P or/and E2. The results showed Poly(I:C) up-regulated the expression of immune cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α, and significantly down-regulated the expression of ERα and PGRMC1 in EndSCs. Moreover, P or low-dose of E2 attenuate Poly(I:C)-induced immune response, and then the synergistic effects of P and E2 decreased expression of ERα, ERβ and PGR, and alleviate the decease of PGRMC1 induced by Poly(I:C), but not alleviate the decease of ERα caused by Poly(I:C). The result provides a steroid therapeutic method to suppress dsRNA virtues-induced immune response through the synergistic effect of P and E2 on endometrial stromal cells.