The Impact of Controlled Ovarian Stimulation on Serum Oxidative Stress Markers in Infertile Women with Endometriosis Undergoing ICSI.

Endometriosis-related infertility is associated with oxidative stress (OS). The present study aims to compare serum OS markers of infertile women with endometriosis and controls during the follicular phase of the natural cycle (D1), after pituitary downregulation using a GnRH agonist (D2), after controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration (D3), and on the day of oocyte retrieval (D4). One hundred and eight serum samples (58 controls and 35 early and 18 advanced endometriosis cases) were collected at these four timepoints.

Transcriptomic analysis of cumulus cells shows altered pathways in patients with minimal and mild endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that is highly associated with infertility. This association seems to be related to oocyte impairment, mainly in the initial stages of endometriosis (minimal and mild), where no distortions or adhesions are present. Nonetheless, invasive oocyte analyses are not routinely feasible; thus, indirect assessment of oocyte quality is highly desirable, and, in this context, cumulus cells (CCs) may be more suitable targets of analysis.

Screening of Variants in the Transcript Profile of Eutopic Endometrium from Infertile Women with Endometriosis during the Implantation Window.

Objective:  Abnormalities in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis may be related to disease-associated infertility. Although previous RNA-sequencing analysis did not show differential expression in endometrial transcripts of endometriosis patients, other molecular alterations could impact protein synthesis and endometrial receptivity. Our aim was to screen for functional mutations in the transcripts of eutopic endometria of infertile women with endometriosis and controls during the implantation window.

Altered transcriptome in cumulus cells of infertile women with advanced endometriosis with and without endometrioma.

Research Question: Is the transcriptome of cumulus cells of infertile women with advanced endometriosis (EIII/IV), with and without endometrioma, altered?

Design: In this prospective case-control study, next-generation RNA sequencing was used to compare the transcript profile of cumulus cells among infertile patients undergoing ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection with EIII/IV, with (n = 9) and without endometrioma (n = 9), and controls (n = 9). An in-silico enrichment analysis was conducted to establish the possibly altered pathways in cumulus cells of patients with endometriosis.

Results: Most of the differentially expressed genes (DEG) were found when cumulus cells from women with EIII/IV with endometrioma were compared with controls (DEG, n = 461).

miR-532-3p: a possible altered miRNA in cumulus cells of infertile women with advanced endometriosis.

Research Question: Is the profile of microRNA (miRNA) altered in cumulus cells of infertile women with early (EI/II) and advanced (EIII/IV) endometriosis?

Design: In this prospective case-control study, a miRNA profile including 754 targets was evaluated in samples of cumulus cells from infertile women with endometriosis (5 EI/II, 5 EIII/IV) and infertile controls (5, male and/or tubal factor) undergoing ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, using TaqMan® Array Human MicroRNA Cards A and B. The groups were compared with Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by Benjamini-Hochberg correction and Dunn's post hoc test. An in silico enrichment analysis was performed to list the possibly altered pathways in which the altered miRNA target genes are involved.

Progesterone Receptor B () Is Partially Methylated in Eutopic Endometrium From Infertile Women With Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is frequently related to infertility and little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. Some studies point to an endometrial factor involved in this condition, which could compromise embryo implantation. Progesterone plays crucial role in endometrial receptivity by acting through progesterone receptor () isoforms PR-A and PR-B whose expression is epigenetically regulated by DNA methylation, in a specific promoter region for each isoform.

Peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis reduces SOD1 in bovine oocytes in vitro maturation.

Studies have demonstrated oxidative stress in peritoneal fluid (PF) from women with endometriosis and the importance of enzymatic antioxidant machinery to avoid oocyte oxidative damage. Considering that PF constantly surrounds the ovaries and has direct contact with the oocyte at ovulation, we wonder if PF from women with endometriosis may affect antioxidant enzyme gene expression. Thus, the present study aims to evaluate the PF impact from infertile women with minimal and mild endometriosis and from fertile control women without endometriosis on SOD1, CAT, GSR gene's expression in experimental bovine oocytes matured in vitro.

Oocyte oxidative DNA damage may be involved in minimal/mild endometriosis-related infertility.

Early endometriosis is associated with infertility, and oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of disease-related infertility. This prospective case-control study aimed to compare the presence of oxidative stress markers in the follicular microenvironment and systemic circulation of infertile women with minimal/mild endometriosis (EI/II) versus individuals undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Seventy-one blood samples (27 from infertile women with EI/II and 44 controls with tubal and/or male infertility factor) and 51 follicular fluid samples (19 EI/II and 32 controls) were obtained on the day of oocyte retrieval.

Expression of PGR, HBEGF, ITGAV, ITGB3 and SPP1 genes in eutopic endometrium of infertile women with endometriosis during the implantation window: a pilot study.

Objective: Alterations in endometrial receptivity may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. The literature has suggested that patients with endometriosis present progestin resistance, which could affect embryo implantation. We question the presence of alterations in the expression of the progesterone receptor gene (PGR) and the genes related to endometrium-embryo interaction regulated by progesterone.

PTGS2 down-regulation in cumulus cells of infertile women with endometriosis.

A deleterious effect of endometriosis on oocyte quality has been proposed. Evidence suggests that cumulus cells could be used as indirect biomarkers of oocyte quality. The PTGS2 gene, which encodes cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), is deregulated in endometriotic lesions and plays a crucial role in the acquisition of oocyte competence.

Ultrastructural Evaluation of Eutopic Endometrium of Infertile Women With and Without Endometriosis During the Window of Implantation: A Pilot Study.

Endometriosis is frequently associated with infertility and it is believed that the impairment of endometrial receptivity may be one of the mechanisms involved in this condition. Pinopodes are endometrial cycle-dependent structures that seem to participate in embryo implantation, and alterations in their presence and/or morphology during the window of implantation could affect the endometrial receptivity and be involved in the disease-related infertility. However, the data on pinopodes in these women are scarce and inconclusive.

Peritoneal Fluid From Infertile Women With Minimal/Mild Endometriosis Compromises the Meiotic Spindle of Metaphase II Bovine Oocytes: A Pilot Study.

Some studies have demonstrated alterations in the composition of peritoneal fluid (PF) from women with endometriosis. Controversial studies have suggested that impaired oocyte quality may be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spindle and chromosome distribution of in vitro-matured oocytes in the presence of 2 concentrations of PF from infertile women with minimal/mild endometriosis (EI/II) compared to fertile controls.

Increased concentration of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in follicular fluid of infertile women with endometriosis.

Impaired oocyte quality and oxidative stress might be involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility. To improve our understanding of the role of oxidative stress in this condition, we compare eight oxidative stress markers from each stage, including the simultaneous analysis of lipids, proteins and DNA damage, in the serum and follicular fluid of infertile women with endometriosis and infertile controls undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In total, 87 serum samples (43 with endometriosis, 44 controls) and 61 follicular fluid samples (29 with endometriosis, 32 controls) free of blood contamination upon visual inspection and presenting granulosa cells alone or granulosa cells plus a retrieved mature oocyte were collected on the day of oocyte retrieval.

Oxidative stress and oocyte quality: ethiopathogenic mechanisms of minimal/mild endometriosis-related infertility.

Endometriosis, a highly prevalent gynecological disease, is often associated with infertility, even in its milder forms (minimal and mild endometriosis). However, no consensus has been established with regard to this relationship and the possible mechanisms involved have not been completely elucidated. The oocyte is believed to have an important role in the infertility presented by these patients.

N-Acetyl-Cysteine and l-Carnitine Prevent Meiotic Oocyte Damage Induced by Follicular Fluid From Infertile Women With Mild Endometriosis.

This study evaluated the potential protective effect of the antioxidants, l-carnitine (LC) and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), in preventing meiotic oocyte damage induced by follicular fluid (FF) from infertile women with mild endometriosis (ME). We performed an experimental study. The FF samples were obtained from 22 infertile women undergoing stimulated cycles for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (11 with ME and 11 without endometriosis).

[Invasive and noninvasive analysis of the meiotic spindle of human oocytes obtained from stimulate cycles: preliminary results].

Purpose: To evaluate the concordance between polarization microscopy and confocal microscopy techniques in the evaluation of the meiotic spindle of human oocytes matured in vivo.

Methods: Prospective study that evaluated oocytes with the first polar extruded body obtained from infertile women who had undergone ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The oocytes with the first polar extruded body were evaluated by polarization microscopy and were then immediately fixed and stained for microtubule and chromatin evaluation by high-performance confocal microscopy.