Increased GDF9 and BMP15 mRNA levels in cumulus granulosa cells correlate with oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo quality in humans.

BACKGROUND: Oocyte secreted factors (OSFs), including growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), play an important role in the process of follicular development and oocyte maturation. Since OSFs are expressed in oocytes and cumulus granulosa cells, the aim of the present study was to explore whether the expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs in cumulus granulosa cells can be used as molecular markers for predicting oocyte developmental potential. METHODS: Cumulus cells of 2426 cumulus-oocyte complexes were collected from 196 female patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and were used for mRNA detection on the egg retrieval day. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between OSF expression and general physiological parameters. Partial correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between OSF expression and oocyte developmental potential. Covariance analysis was used to compare OSF expression among different groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to examine the diagnostic value of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNA for predicting pregnancy. RESULTS: The expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs were significantly associated with age, body mass index (BMI), oocyte maturation, normal fertilization, and cleavage rate (P < 0.05). The expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs in the group with high-quality embryos were significantly higher than those in the group without high-quality embryos (P < 0.05). The expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs in the pregnancy group were significantly higher than those in the nonpregnancy group (P < 0.05). The cut-off value of GDF9 mRNA for predicting pregnancy was 4.82, with a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 64%. The cut-off value of BMP15 mRNA for predicting pregnancy was 2.60, with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 52%. CONCLUSIONS: The expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs were closely associated with oocyte maturation, fertilization, embryo quality, and pregnancy outcome; therefore, GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs in cumulus granulosa cells may be considered as new molecular markers for predicting oocyte developmental potential.

Association between the proportion of dominant follicles and oocyte developmental competence.

PURPOSE: To explore the optimal timing for hCG triggering by investigating the impact of different proportion of dominant follicles on the oocyte developmental competence. METHODS: One hundred ninety-eight infertile women were divided into three groups according to the proportion of dominant follicles on hCG day: (1) low: <15% (n = 66); (2) middle: 15-27% (n = 66); (3) high: >27% (n = 66). The grouping criteria were the bottom and top tertiles of the proportion of dominant follicles. RESULTS: The gonadotropin dosage, duration and maximum follicle diameter in the low proportion group were lower than those in the middle and high proportion groups. Oocyte maturation and the abnormal fertilization rate in the low proportion group were lower than those in the middle and high proportion groups. The normal fertilization rate did not differ among the three groups. The cleavage rate and number of transferable embryos in the low proportion group were significantly higher than those in the high proportion group. The high-quality embryo rate, implantation rate, and pregnancy rate in the low proportion group were significantly higher than those in the middle and high proportion groups. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of dominant follicles are closely associated with impaired oocyte developmental competence and low pregnancy rate. These findings suggest that follicular overgrowth induced by delayed hCG triggering may undermine oocyte developmental competence and the proportion of dominant follicles may be a potential parameters for hCG triggering.

[Anti-Müllerian hormone in male serum and prediction of the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate male serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in assessing semen quality and predicting the pregnancy outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS: A total of 103 male patients under ICSI were allotted to Groups A (normal sperm concentration control, n = 29), B (oligospermia, n = 27), C (obstructive azoospermia, n = 29) and D (non-obstructive azoospermia, n = 18). The contents of serum AMH and other related sexual hormones were determined by ELISA, and their correlations were analyzed with the seminal quality on the day of semen collection and with the pregnancy outcomes after ICSI. RESULTS: The contents of male serum AMH were (5.03 +/- 0.44), (3.70 +/- 0.44), (5.39 +/- 0.71) and (7.31 +/- 1.64) pmol/L, respectively, in Groups A, B, C and D, with no statistically significant differences among the four groups (F = 2.02, P > 0.05). The egg fertilization rate of the 103 couples was (76.13 +/- 23.66) %, not significantly correlated with the male serum AMH level (P > 0.05). The contents of male serum AMH in the pregnancy and non-pregnancy groups were (6.19 +/- 1.05) and (4.72 +/- 1.64) pmol/L, respectively, with no significant difference (t = 1.281, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of male serum AMH can neither reflect spermatogenesis of men nor predict the egg fertilization rate and pregnancy outcomes after ICSI, and therefore cannot be used alone as a serological predictive marker of ICSI outcomes.