Once considered a simple medium for sperm and embryo transport, the functional spectrum of uterine fluid is now expanding. Novel molecular players, such as extracellular vesicles and mobile RNAs, have been detected in the uterine fluid of livestock, rodents, and humans. These novel molecules, together with previously known ions and proteins, ensure uterine fluid homeostasis and facilitate embryo–maternal interactions. Here, we propose that these molecules may also carry information that mirrors maternal environmental exposure and possibly relay such information to the embryo via uterine fluid, generating long-term epigenetic effects on the offspring via embryonic and placental programming. Moreover, the development of systematic profiling of uterine fluid molecular signatures may now hold promise, relying on high-throughput methods and non-invasive biomarkers for clinical use.

曾经被认为是精子和胚胎运输的简单媒介，子宫液的功能范围正在不断扩大。在牲畜，啮齿动物和人类的子宫液中已检测到新型分子分子，例如细胞外囊泡和移动RNA。这些新颖的分子，再加上以前已知的离子和蛋白质，可确保子宫液稳态，并促进胚胎与母亲之间的相互作用。在这里，我们建议这些分子还可能携带反映母体环境暴露的信息，并可能通过子宫液将这些信息传递给胚胎，并通过胚胎和胎盘程序对后代产生长期表观遗传学效应。而且，对子宫液分子特征进行系统分析的发展现在可能有望实现，