Carbon disulfide exposure at peri-implantation disrupts embryo implantation by decreasing integrin β3 expression in the uterine tissue of pregnant mice

- An animal model of embryo implantation disorders after CS2 exposure was developed.
- The level of integrin β3 protein and mRNA in uterus decreased with CS2 exposure.
- Methylation status of DNA promoter region of integrin β3 was the same as control.
- The reduced integrin β3 expression may be responsible for implantation disorders.

Carbon disulfide (CS2) exposure might disrupt embryo implantation in females during pregnancy but the relevant mechanism remains unclear. Since integrin β3 has shown to be one of the cell adhesion molecules involved in embryo implantation, the current study examined the effect of CS2 exposure during the peri-implantation period on the protein and mRNA expression of integrin β3 and its DNA methylation degree in the uterine tissue of gestational mice. Exposure was on the 3rd day of gestation (GD3), GD4, GD5 and GD6, respectively, one time administration (631.4 mg/kg). The number of implanted embryos on GD9 was observed and compared with the control, it was decreased by 32.92%, 56.11%, 56.11% and 51.21%, respectively, which revealed that GD4 and GD5 were the most sensitive time for embryotoxicity. The protein and mRNA expression of integrin β3 were detected each day after exposure till the GD7 endpoint. It down-regulated the protein and mRNA expression of integrin β3 in uterine tissue and there was a positive correlation between the number of embryos and the expression of protein on the first and second day after exposure. However, the degree of integrin β3 DNA methylation was not affected, which was detected by bisulfite sequencing polymerase chain reaction (BSP) method.These findings suggest that the decreased protein and mRNA level of integrin β3 in the uterine tissue after mice exposure to CS2 might be relevant to the underlying mechanism of embryo implantation disorders, but DNA methylation of integrin β3 does not contribute to this action.