The effect of myo-inositol on the follicular fluid metabolomic profile in women with predicted poor ovarian response undergoing in vitro fertilization: association with oocyte quality

Zakovryashin E.A., Korneeva I.E., Chagovets V.V., Mityurina E.V., Novoselova A.V., Sannikova E.S., Nazarenko T.A., Levin V.A.

1) Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia; 2) Ornament Health AG, Lucerne, Switzerland

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of IVF and the follicular fluid metabolomic profile in patients with predicted poor ovarian response who received myo-inositol (MI) 1200 mg, alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA), and folic acid 400 mcg at the preconception stage. 
Materials and methods: The study included 80 women with a predicted poor ovarian response, belonging to groups 3 and 4 of the POSEIDON classification, who were planning to undergo IVF as part of their infertility treatment. Patients in group 1 received MI 1200 mg, α-LA, and folic acid 400 mcg (Inofert Forte) daily for three months before ovarian stimulation. The women in group 2 received 400 mcg of folic acid. Amino acid and ceramide levels in the follicular fluid were analyzed.
Results: Group 1 showed a significant increase in the number of mature oocytes, zygotes, total blastocysts, and good-quality blastocysts compared with group 2. The use of MI + α-LA resulted in a statistically insignificant increase in the clinical pregnancy rate (27.0% in group 1 versus 10.8% in group 2, p<0.075, OR=3.05 [95% CI: 0.86–10.84]) and ongoing pregnancy rate (21.6% versus 8.1%, respectively, p<0.102, OR=3.13 [95% CI: 0.76–12.88]). The metabolomic profile of women in group 1 was characterized by increased levels of isoleucine, valine, leucine, alpha-aminobutyric acid, histidine, threonine, and proline, along with decreased levels of ceramides Cer (d18:0/24:1), Cer (d18:0/16:0), Cer (d18:0/22:0), Cer (d18:1/23:0), Cer (d18:1/25:0), Cer (d18:2/23:0), and Cer (d18:0/24:0).
Conclusion: Adjuvant therapy with MI before gonadotropic stimulation in patients with a poor ovarian response influences lipid and ceramide metabolism in the follicular microenvironment. This therapy also results in a greater number of mature oocytes and high-quality blastocysts, which positively affects the clinical outcomes of IVF infertility treatment.

Authors’ contributions: Korneeva I.E., Nazarenko T.A. – conception and design of the study; Zakovryashin E.A., Chagovets V.V., Mityurina E.V., Novoselova A.V. – material collection and processing; Zakovryashin E.A., Chagovets V.V., Novoselova A.V., Levin V.A. – statistical analysis; Zakovryashin E.A., Levin V.A. – drafting of the manuscript; Korneeva I.E., Chagovets V.V., Mityurina E.V., Sannikova E.S., Nazarenko T.A. – editing of the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding: There was no funding for this study.
Ethical approval: The study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the V.I. Kulakov NMRC for OG&P.
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 upon request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
For citation: Zakovryashin E.A., Korneeva I.E., Chagovets V.V., Mityurina E.V., Novoselova A.V., Sannikova E.S., Nazarenko T.A., Levin V.A. The effect of myo-inositol on the follicular fluid metabolomic profile in women with 
predicted poor ovarian response undergoing in vitro fertilization: association with oocyte quality.
 Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2025; (4): 94-103 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2025.108

Keywords

in vitro fertilization
infertility
myo-inositol (MI)
alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA)
poor ovarian response
follicular fluid
metabolome

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Received 21.04.2025

Accepted 25.04.2025

About the Authors

Evgeniy A. Zakovryashin, PhD student, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, +7(916)051-75-36, 324155hf@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3908-7230
Irina Е. Korneeva, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Leading Researcher at the Scientific and Educational Center of Auxiliary Reproductive Technologies with a Clinical Department named after Frederick Paulsen, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0904-585X
Vitaliy V. Chagovets, PhD, Head of the Laboratory for Metabolomics and Bioinformatics, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5120-376X
Elena V. Mityurina, PhD, Senior Researcher at the Scientific and Educational Center of Auxiliary Reproductive Technologies with a Clinical Department
named after Frederick Paulsen, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8830-2158
Anastasia V. Novoselova, Researcher at the Laboratory of Metabolomics and Bioinformatics, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4.
Elena S. Sannikova, Embryologist at the Scientific and Educational Center of Auxiliary Reproductive Technologies with a Clinical Department named after Frederick Paulsen, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2351-3400
Tatiana A. Nazarenko, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparin str., 4, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5823-1667
Vitaly A. Levin, Endocrinologist, Ornament Health AG, Lucerne, Switzerland, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8758-0842
Corresponding author: Evgeniy A. Zakovryashin, 324155hf@mail.ru

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