Gergely Montskó1, Zita Zrínyi1, Tamás Janáky2, Zoltán Szabó2, Ákos Várnagy3, Gábor L Kovács4, József Bódis5. 1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. 3. Department of Medical Chemistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary. 4. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary. Electronic address: kovacs.l.gabor@pte.hu. 5. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To find new candidate molecules to assess embryo viability in a noninvasive manner. DESIGN: Prospective, blinded study with randomized sample collection. SETTING: University research center. PATIENTS(S): Ninety embryos implanted in 53 randomly selected patients (mean ± SD age, 32.3 ± 5.1 years) were analyzed. INTERVENTION(S): Superovulation treatment was initiated by the administration of the GnRh agonist triptorelin and individual dosages of recombinant FSH. Ovulation was induced by the injection of hCG. Oocytes were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometric quantification of the α-1 fragment of human haptoglobin in the culture medium. RESULT(S): A novel polypeptide marker was found that might be helpful to differentiate between potentially viable and nonviable embryos. This molecule was identified with tandem mass spectrometry as the α-1 fragment of human haptoglobin. Significant correlation was found in the amount of the peptide fragment and the outcome of pregnancy. In the culture media of embryos that were assigned in the biochemical assay as nonviable (according to the amount of the haptoglobin fragment), there were no pregnancies detected; this assay revealed a 100% successful selection of the nonviable embryos. In the group assigned as viable, the rate of pregnancy was 54.7%. CONCLUSION(S): Viability of the embryo during the IVF process is assessed by microscopic inspection, resulting in a pregnancy rate of 25%-30%. Detection and quantitation of the α-1 haptoglobin fragment of the culture medium proved to be a useful additional method for identifying nonviable embryos, increasing the success rate to 50%.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To find new candidate molecules to assess embryo viability in a noninvasive manner. DESIGN: Prospective, blinded study with randomized sample collection. SETTING: University research center. PATIENTS(S): Ninety embryos implanted in 53 randomly selected patients (mean ± SD age, 32.3 ± 5.1 years) were analyzed. INTERVENTION(S): Superovulation treatment was initiated by the administration of the GnRh agonist triptorelin and individual dosages of recombinant FSH. Ovulation was induced by the injection of hCG. Oocytes were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometric quantification of the α-1 fragment of humanhaptoglobin in the culture medium. RESULT(S): A novel polypeptide marker was found that might be helpful to differentiate between potentially viable and nonviable embryos. This molecule was identified with tandem mass spectrometry as the α-1 fragment of humanhaptoglobin. Significant correlation was found in the amount of the peptide fragment and the outcome of pregnancy. In the culture media of embryos that were assigned in the biochemical assay as nonviable (according to the amount of the haptoglobin fragment), there were no pregnancies detected; this assay revealed a 100% successful selection of the nonviable embryos. In the group assigned as viable, the rate of pregnancy was 54.7%. CONCLUSION(S): Viability of the embryo during the IVF process is assessed by microscopic inspection, resulting in a pregnancy rate of 25%-30%. Detection and quantitation of the α-1 haptoglobin fragment of the culture medium proved to be a useful additional method for identifying nonviable embryos, increasing the success rate to 50%.
Authors: Katalin Gombos; Bence Gálik; Krisztina Ildikó Kalács; Krisztina Gödöny; Ákos Várnagy; Donát Alpár; József Bódis; Attila Gyenesei; Gábor L Kovács Journal: Int J Mol Sci Date: 2021-02-28 Impact factor: 5.923