Cytokine and hormonal profile in serum samples of patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation: interleukin-1beta predicts ongoing pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the endometrium are not regulated exclusively by ovarian hormones; the immune system has also been implicated in normal endometrial function, similar to processes taking place during inflammatory and reparative path. Many cytokines are crucially important for reproductive processes, and the role of cytokines in the female reproductive system function has been broadly investigated during controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for IVF attempts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of serum cytokines and hormones, and the clinical outcomes of women who underwent COS and ICSI procedures.
METHODS: The study prospectively included 96 patients (aged 22-43 years, unexplained or male infertility, n = 61; female infertility factors, n = 35) who underwent ICSI cycles. Serum levels of interleukin (IL-8, IL-6, IL-1beta, IL-10, IL-12), tumour necrosis factor and leukaemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) and the hormones FSH, estradiol, progesterone, anti-Mullerian hormone and Inhibin-B were measured on the day of oocyte retrieval.
RESULTS: The ongoing pregnancy rate was 25.3%. The presence of serum IL-1beta positively affected the implantation rate (P = 0.004) and increased the chance of becoming pregnant by 15 fold. Furthermore, the percentage of patients with detectable serum IL-1beta levels who conceived (62.5%) was higher than those who failed to conceive (37.5%; P = 0.019). The LIF was undetectable in all serum samples, and no other factors influenced the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing ICSI cycles.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that detectable serum levels of IL-1beta on the day of oocyte retrieval in patients undergoing COS and ICSI are predictive of successful implantation and ongoing pregnancy.