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A new scientific publication co-authored by Professor Ivan Varga PhD, PhD, Professor of Anatomy and Histology at the Faculty of Medicine of MediCampus Europeo, explores how changes in estrogen and progesterone influence human uterine tube epithelial cells during the period leading towards implantation.
Published in the Bratislava Medical Journal, the study examines how these cells respond to physiological hormonal changes and contribute to the local environment involved in fertilisation and early embryonic development. Professor Varga helped conceive the research, contributed to its supervision and served as corresponding author.
The uterine tube is not only responsible for gamete transport and fertilisation. It also helps create a suitable microenvironment for the earliest stages of embryo development.
The researchers investigated how human uterine tube epithelial cells respond as estrogen and progesterone levels change from the peri-ovulatory phase towards the window of implantation.
To reproduce this transition, the cells were cultured in vitro under dynamic hormonal conditions and analysed over seven days. The study focused on changes related to immune activity, angiogenesis, tissue remodelling and cell proliferation.
The study found that physiological hormonal changes produced a clear response over time.
In the early phase, pathways associated with angiogenesis and tissue remodelling became more active. As the experiment progressed, immune-related activity increased, particularly between Days 3 and 7.
The results showed that uterine tube epithelial cells developed a controlled secretory and immunomodulatory profile under changing hormonal conditions. This profile involved factors connected with inflammation, blood vessel formation and tissue remodelling.
The findings provide further insight into the active role of the uterine tube during human reproduction.
Rather than functioning solely as a passage for gametes and the early embryo, the uterine tube contributes to the biological environment surrounding fertilisation and early development.
According to the authors, maintaining a stable uterine tube microenvironment is important for the onset and maintenance of the early stages of physiological pregnancy. The study also offers new information about the molecular activity of uterine tube epithelial cells during this period.
Read more on Bratislava Medical Journal: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44411-026-00761-5
Original title: Estrogen and Progesterone-Induced Changes in the Secretory Profile of Human Uterine Tube Epithelial Cells: A Critical Factor of Human Reproduction
Article type: Research article
Journal: Bratislava Medical Journal
Published: 11 July 2026
MCE author: Professor Ivan Varga
Publication status: Open access
DOI: 10.1007/s44411-026-00761-5
