{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T18:58:21Z","timestamp":1785437901055,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]],"date-time":"2026-04-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776902400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China","award":["JCZRLH202600304"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JCZRLH202600304"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012226","name":"Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["2042018kf0094"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2042018kf0094"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012226","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100016359","name":"Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["znpy2023027"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["znpy2023027"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100016359","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["znpy2023027"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["znpy2023027"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01v5mqw79","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>2,3\u2032,4,4\u2032,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118) is a persistent environmental pollutant associated with adverse female reproductive outcomes; however, its effects on uterine function and epigenetic regulation remain incompletely understood. This study investigated whether PCB118 disrupts uterine decidualization and angiogenesis through miRNA-mediated regulatory pathways. Human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to an environmentally relevant, non-cytotoxic concentration of PCB118. Decidualization and angiogenesis were evaluated in vitro, and underlying mechanisms were investigated using molecular and miRNA-based approaches. In vivo validation of miR-542-3p expression was performed in pregnant mice following PCB118 exposure. PCB118 exposure was associated with reduced expression of decidualization markers, including prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), as well as impaired angiogenic capacity in HUVECs. PCB118 treatment was accompanied by increased miR-542-3p expression, which was associated with decreased integrin-linked kinase (ILK) levels and changes in transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-\u03b21) and total Smad2 protein abundance. ILK overexpression partially restored decidualization and angiogenesis-related phenotypes, supporting a functional involvement of ILK in these processes. Consistently, elevated miR-542-3p expression was observed in murine endometrial tissues following PCB118 exposure, suggesting physiological relevance in vivo. PCB118 exposure is associated with impaired decidualization and angiogenesis, potentially involving dysregulation of the miR-542-3p\/ILK signaling axis, suggesting a potential role for epigenetic modulation in PCB118-associated reproductive dysfunction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27093771","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T08:08:02Z","timestamp":1777018082000},"page":"3771","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["PCB118 Is Associated with Impaired Decidualization and Angiogenesis Through miR-542-3p\u2013Mediated Regulation of ILK Signaling"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Xinlan","family":"Qu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yifan","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yujie","family":"Yue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuan","family":"Fang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thyroid and Mammary Gland Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5159-2267","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Songwei","family":"Lv","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.1002\/rmb2.12088","article-title":"Decidualization of the human endometrium","volume":"17","author":"Okada","year":"2018","journal-title":"Reprod. 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