Analysis of glucose and glutamate consumption in culture media as a method for assessing the quality of human embryos on their fifth day of development

Zorina I.M., Smolnikova V.Yu., Eldarov Ch.M., Yarygina S.A., Gorshinova V.K., Makarova N.P., Kalinina E.A., Bobrov M.Yu.

National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow 117997, Ac. Oparina str. 4, Russia
Objective. To estimate changes in glucose and glutamate levels in the culture media of 5-day-old embryos with fluorimetric detection and to determine the association between the studied indicators and the quality and ploidy of embryos.
Material and methods. A cross-sectional parallel-group study was conducted to examine 68 embryo samples from the culture media of different morphological quality embryos from 21 patients less than 45 years of age who underwent IVF (ICSI) using gonadotropin preparations and preimplantation genetic screening with comparative genomic hybridization, as indicated. Glucose and glutamate consumption in the culture media of 5-day-old embryos was analyzed with fluorescence photometry using the Amplex Red Glucose Assay kit and the Amplex Red Glutamic Acid Assay kit (Molecular Probes, Life technologies).
Results. The investigation established that the proposed methodological approaches allow the recording of glucose consumption by embryos after five days of cultivation. The embryos demonstrating the higher rates of development at the time of the study were shown to have an increased glucose consumption level. It was also found that the embryos with a normal and aneuploid karyotype did not show significant differences in glucose uptake on day 5 of cultivation. Estimation of the implantation potential and glucose levels in culture media showed that the embryos with higher glucose consumption are more likely to develop pregnancy after their transfer.
Conclusion. On the basis of the findings, the proposed method for measuring the concentration of glucose may be recommended as an additional noninvasive investigation for the selective transfer with similar morphological parameters.

Keywords

assisted reproductive technologies
in vitro fertilization
cultivation medium
embryo cultivation
embryo implantation
glucose
glutamate

References

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Received 07.11.2017

Accepted 22.12.2017

About the Authors

Zorina Inna Mikhailovna, postgraduate student of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center
of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. Tel.: +79267126561. E-mail: afinna_153@mail.ru
Smolnikova Veronika Yuryevna, MD, leading research assistant of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. E-mail: veronika.smolnikova@mail.ru
Eldarov Chupalov Maksudovich, Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia. 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4
Svetlana A. Yarygina, postgraduate student of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center
of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia. 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4
Viktoria Gorshinova, postgraduate student of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center
of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. E-mail: chiasma@mail.ru
Makarova Natalia Petrovna, Ph.D., embryologist, researcher of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia. 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4
Kalinina Elena Anatolievna, MD, Head of Professor B.V. Leonov Department of Auxiliary Technologies in Infertility Treatment, National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. E-mail: e_kalinina@oparina4.ru
Mikhail Bobrov, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology, National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named
after Academician V.I. Kulakov, Ministry of Health of Russia. 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. E-mail: mbobr@mail.ru

For citations: Zorina I.M., Smolnikova V.Yu., Eldarov Ch.M.,
Yarygina S.A., Gorshinova V.K., Makarova N.P., Kalinina E.A., Bobrov M.Yu.
Analysis of glucose and glutamate consumption in culture media as a method for assessing the quality of human embryos on their fifth day of development.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2018; (5): 64-9. (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2018.5.64-69

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