Interleukin-11 enhances cell survival of decidualized normal human endometrial stromal cells.

High expression of interleukin-11 (IL-11) and the IL-11 receptor alpha chain in developing decidual cells in mice has been reported, and mice lacking IL-11 receptor expression have been reported to show impaired implantation owing to defective decidualization. However, the direct effect of IL-11 on endometrial stromal cells has not been studied. In this study, we examined the direct effects of IL-11 on normal human endometrial stromal cells using an in vitro decidualization assay system. IL-11 enhanced cell viability and prolactin secretion of 8-Br-cAMP-induced decidualized cells but not of non-stimulated stromal cells. IL-11 dose-dependently enhanced the viability of stromal cells co-stimulated with 8-Br-cAMP and IL-11 without any significant effect on prolactin secretion from the cells. The extracellular matrix did not affect the effect of IL-11 on the viability of 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated stromal cells. These results indicate that IL-11 enhances the viability of 8-Br-cAMP-stimulated stromal cells and of decidualized stromal cells, and that the cell survival signals generated by IL-11 are independent of those generated by the extracellular matrix. IL-11 produced locally in decidual tissues may enhance the viability of decidualized stromal cells and possibly protect against cell damage during embryo implantation and trophoblastic invasion.