The follicular fluid metabolomic profile as a marker for oocyte quality in assisted reproductive technology programs

Gaponenko A.A., Mityurina E.V., Frankevich V.E.

Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
One of the leading factors in determining the success of assisted reproductive technologies is to obtain an embryo with a high implantation potential, which in turn depends more on the quality of gametes. The main criterion for assessing the quality of oocytes is their morphological characteristics. Recent studies are aimed at searching for more accurate and non-invasive markers that determine the egg ability to be fertilized and to subsequently develop to a normal embryo. Follicular fluid is a unique investigation object, as it carries information about the features of the metabolic activity of the oocyte, and hence its competence. A study of biological fluid metabolomes has become possible due to the technologies based on the use of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. This review presents studies that discuss whether the follicular fluid metabolomic profile can be investigated to assess the quality of an oocyte and the feasibility of using a number of metabolites as additional markers. It also gives the results of a number of studies of the complete metabolomic profile of follicular fluid from patients of different age groups and according to the values of anti-Müllerian hormone. There are data on the composition of follicular fluid in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and other metabolic disorders. The review describes the studies of follicular fluid metabolomes in patients with ovarian endometrioid cysts and in those with recurrent implantation failures.
Conclusion: The results of the studies conducted have confirmed the prospects and relevance of further investigation of the follicular fluid metabolic profile, which may allow one to create predictive oocyte quality model in the future.

Keywords

assisted reproductive technologies
follicular fluid
metabolomic profile
mass spectrometry

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Received 31.05.2021

Accepted 15.06.2021

About the Authors

Alexandra A. Gaponenko, post-graduate student, F. Paulsen Research and Clinical Department for Assisted Reproductive Technologies, V.I. Kulakov National Medical
Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, +7(926)700-44-14, sasha.gap@mail.ru,
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4.
Elena V. Mityurina, PhD, Senior Researcher, F. Paulsen Research and Clinical Department for Assisted Reproductive Technologies, V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, +7(964)796-74-65, mity-elena@yandex.ru,
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4.
Vladimir E. Frankevich, PhD, Head of the Department of Systemic Biology in Reproduction, V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, +7(495)438-07-88, v_frankevich@oparina4.ru, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4.

Authors’contributions: Gaponenko A.A., Mityurina E.V., Frankevich V.E. – development of the concept and design of the investigation; obtaining the findings for analysis; review of publications on the topic of the article; analysis of the findings; writing the text of the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding: The investigation has not been sponsored.
For citation: Gaponenko A.A., Mityurina E.V., Frankevich V.E. The follicular fluid metabolomic profile as a marker for oocyte quality in assisted reproductive technology programs.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2021; 11: 26-31 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2021.11.26-31

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