Background: Amphiregulin (AR) is a growth factor that resembles the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and serves various functions in different cells. However, no systematic studies or reports on the role of AR in human oocytes have currently been performed or reported. This study aimed to explore the role of AR in human immature oocytes during maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) in achieving better embryonic development and to provide a basis for the development of a pre-insemination culture medium specific for cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs).
Methods: First, we examined the concentration of AR in the follicular fluid (FF) of patients who underwent routine IVF and explored the correlation between AR levels and oocyte maturation and subsequent embryonic development. Second, AR was added to the IVM medium to culture immature oocytes and investigate whether AR could improve the effects of IVM. Finally, we pioneered the use of a fertilization medium supplemented with AR for the pre-insemination culture of COCs to explore whether the involvement of AR can promote the maturation and fertilization of IVF oocytes, as well as subsequent embryonic development.
Results: A total of 609 FF samples were examined, and a positive correlation between AR levels and blastocyst formation was observed. In our IVM study, the development potential and IVM rate of immature oocytes, as well as the fertilization rate of IVM oocytes in the AR-added groups, were ameliorated significantly compared to the control group (All P < 0.05). Only the IVM-50 group had a significantly higher blastocyst formation rate than the control group (P < 0.05). In the final IVF study, the maturation, fertilization, high-quality embryo, blastocyst formation, and high-quality blastocyst rates of the AR-added group were significantly higher than those of the control group (All P < 0.05).
Conclusion: AR levels in the FF positively correlated with blastocyst formation, and AR involvement in pre-insemination cultures of COCs can effectively improve laboratory outcomes in IVF. Furthermore, AR can directly promote the maturation and developmental potential of human immature oocytes at an optimal concentration of 50 ng/ml.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1428147 | DOI Listing |
J Obstet Gynaecol Res
January 2025
Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a microfluidic culture system supplemented with follicular fluid meiosis-activating sterol (FF-MAS) on the maturation of immature oocytes in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Methods: A total of 438 germinal vesicle oocytes from 163 PCOS patients were included. Oocytes were divided into five groups: (1) cultured in static drops without FF-MAS, (2) cultured in static drops with FF-MAS, (3) cultured in a microfluidic device without FF-MAS, (4) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for the first 2 h, and (5) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for 24 h.
Anim Reprod Sci
January 2025
Division of Biological Resources and Development, Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan. Electronic address:
To clarify the efficiency of superovulation in immature female rabbits, immature female rabbits were superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin, and the number of recovered oocytes, their maturity, and their ability to develop into blastocysts under in vitro fertilization and culture were examined in this study. More than 80 oocytes were recovered from 12-14-week-old immature female rabbits. In particular, an average of more than 100 oocytes were recovered from 13-week-old immature female rabbits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Gynecol Obstet
January 2025
Reproductive Medicine Research Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 17 Shou-gou-ling Rd., Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
Purpose: To investigate an optimal strategy by assessing the effectiveness of varying follicular sizes on trigger day during luteal phase stimulation protocol and provide evidence for personalized protocol adjustment.
Methods: This was a retrospective study including a total of 661 patients who had started their in vitro fertilization cycle with a luteal phase stimulation (LPS) protocol during 2015-2023. We classified patients into groups according to the size of the dominant proportion of follicles on the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger day: large, medium, and small.
J Assist Reprod Genet
January 2025
IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, RMA New Jersey, 140 Allen, Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920, USA.
Purpose: This study aimed to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with low maturation rates and to investigate if the rate of immature oocytes impacts the outcomes of mature sibling oocytes.
Methods: Women undergoing their first IVF-ICSI cycle between 2018 and 2022 at a fertility clinic were included. Cycles were classified into five groups according to the proportion of Metaphase II stage oocytes (MII): Null (0% MII, n = 46), Poor (1-25% MII, n = 44), Low (26-50% MII, n = 453), Acceptable (51-75% MII, n = 1641), and Optimal (76-100% MII, n = 2642).
Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd
January 2025
Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
Introduction: Identifying non-invasive biomarkers which can predict the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is crucial, particularly in Germany where the challenges are intensified by the Embryo Protection Act. Recent research has highlighted biomarkers within the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family as central to follicular processes, although their predictive utility remains a subject of debate in the literature. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the significance of amphiregulin concentrations in follicular fluid and gene expression in mural granulosa cells on oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo quality.
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