Abstract:To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) combined with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) on blastocyst implantation dysfunction in rats. Materials and Methods: Wistar female rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, and TEAS + hCG treatment group (n=6 per group). The model group and the TEAS + hCG treatment group were induced by mifepristone to establish a rat model of blastocyst implantation failure. Rats in the treatment group received TEAS + hCG injections for three consecutive days starting from the late diestrus phase. In the treatment group, rats received TEAS at Guanyuan (CV4) and Sanyinjiao acupoints for 30 minutes daily over 3 consecutive days, combined with an intramuscular injection of 3.5 IU hCG in the thigh. The control and model groups were subjected to the same 30-minute restraining procedure without electrical stimulation and received an intramuscular injection of an equivalent volume of physiological saline instead of hCG. The estrous cycle of female rats was monitored daily by vaginal cytology. On the day of proestrus, females were co-housed with male rats at a 2:1 ratio. The presence of spermatozoa in the vaginal smear on the following morning was confirmed under a microscope and designated as gestational day 0. On gestation day 3, rats in the model and treatment groups received a subcutaneous injection of mifepristone suspension (5 mg/kg) to establish the blastocyst implantation dysfunction model. On gestation day 9, blastocyst implantation numbers, endometrial morphology, and the expression levels of estrogen receptor α (ERα), progesterone receptor (PR), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were evaluated. Results: (1) Compared with the control group, the number of blastocyst implantation in the model group was significantly decreased (p = 0.005). After treatment with TEAS combined with hCG, the number of blastocyst implantation was significantly increased (p = 0.027) compared to the model group; however, it remained significantly lower than that in the control group.(2) Compared with the control group, the endometrium in the model group was significantly thinner, with underdeveloped pinopodes. After treatment with TEAS combined with hCG, the endometrial thickness was restored to a level that showed no significant difference from the control group, and the development of pinopodes was improved. (3) The expressions of ERα mRNA (p = 0.028), ERα protein (p = 0.012), and PR protein (p = 0.014) in the model group were significantly lower than those in the control group. After treatment with TEAS + hCG, the protein expression levels of ERα, PR, and LIF showed an upward trend.Conclusion: TEAS + hCG treatment may regulate endometrial expression of ERα, PR, and LIF, promote endometrial and pinopode development, improve endometrial receptivity, and effectively treat blastocyst implantation dysfunction in rats.