Fig. 5: VEGF165 promotes smad7 expression to inhibit the differentiation of endometrial stromal cells into myofibroblasts.

a The mRNA levels of smad7 in endometria from human subjects with AS (N = 50) and without AS (non-AS; N = 50) were examined by qPCR. The protein levels of smad7 as examined by western blot analysis were significantly decreased in the endometria of AS patients (N = 6) compared to non-AS patients (N = 6). Each bar represents the mean ± SEM. **P < 0.01, *P   <  0.05. Unpaired t-test. Analysis of the protein levels of smad7 was performed using Welch’s correction. b Representative micrographs showed smad7 levels in human endometria at the late proliferative phase and in murine uteri in estrus by immunohistochemistry. Scale bar = 100 μm, N = 3, *P < 0.05. Unpaired t-test. c The mRNA and protein levels of smad7 in human endometrial stromal cells were decreased significantly at 24 h after transfection with siSmad7. N = 3, *P < 0.05. Unpaired t-test. d, e Endometrial stromal cells stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGFβ1 for 48 h were transfected with siSmad7 for 24 h and/or cocultured with 10 ng/mL VEGF165 for another 12 or 24 h. The mRNA and protein levels of smad7, α-SMA, and collagen 1 were examined. N = 3, ***P < 0.001, **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05. Analysis of mRNA levels was performed using two-way ANOVA and SNK-q. Analysis of protein levels was performed using one-way ANOVA and SNK-q. AS: Asherman’s syndrome, T TGFβ1, VEGF VEGF165, siCTL siControl