Experience with Intralipid in early reproductive losses

Bespalova O.N., Zhernakova T.S.

D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductology, Saint Petersburg, Russia
The fat emulsion Intralipid containing ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids has been the gold standard of parenteral nutrition for 60 years. To date, there have been thirty years of experience with Intralipid in the immunological factor of early reproductive losses; ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been proven to play a role in oocyte maturation and embryo implantation, in the balance of synthesis of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and in the reduction of natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity. Considering the comparable efficacy of Intralipid and intravenous immunoglobulins, the fat emulsion was presented as a promising and affordable method for the treatment of recurrent abortion and implantation failures in IVF programs. Scientific sources have contradictory data on the efficacy of Intralipid in repeated implantation failures. This is due to the determination of indications for its prescription and to the choice of criteria for evaluating the efficiency of this therapy. The paper includes data from 25 original investigations from 1991 to 2021, which present different results of Intralipid therapy. It describes the proposed mechanism of its action in the early stages of pregnancy and presents materials on the history of the discovery, classification, and metabolism of fat emulsions.
Conclusion: The accumulated depot of essential ω-3 PUFA during the pre-conception period contributes to the optimal development of the fetal brain and visual organs and, as shown by numerous studies, prevents the development of great obstetric syndromes. Thus, the intravenous administration of fat emulsions has a positive effect on the onset and prolongation of pregnancy.

Keywords

Intralipid
early reproductive losses
recurrent miscarriage
repeated implantation failures
immunotherapy

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Received 14.05.2021

Accepted 11.10.2021

About the Authors

Olesya N. Bespalova, MD, PhD, DSci (Medicine), Deputy Director for Research, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology,
shiggerra@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6542-5953, eLibrary SPIN: 4732-8089, 3, Mendeleevskaya line, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
Tatiana S. Zhernakova, graduate student, D.O. Ott Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology, tatazhernakova@gmail.com, 3,
Mendeleevskaya line, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia.

Authors' contributions: Zhernakova T.S. – review of publications on the topic of the article; writing the text of the manuscript; Bespalova O.N. – development of the concept of the article, writing the text and editing the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no possible conflicts of interest.
Funding: The investigation has not been sponsored.
Patient Consent for Publication: All patients provided informed consent for the publication of their data.
Authors' Data Sharing Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Bespalova O.N., Zhernakova T.S.
Experience with Intralipid in early reproductive losses.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2021; 11: 194-201 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2021.11.194-201

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