Steroid‐depleted endometriosis serum improves oocyte maturation in IVM systems

In vitro maturation (IVM) is a novel approach to overcome the adverse effects of human in vitro fertilization (IVF). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of total and steroid‐depleted serum obtained from patients with endometriosis on IVM outcome as supplementation for this system. To this purpose, patients with endometriosis were selected according to in/excluding criteria. Germinal vesicles (GVs) and cumulus cells were treated with ۱۰% of each serum. The expression levels of stearoyl CoA desaturase ۱ (SCD ۱) and cyclooxygenase‐۲ (COX‐۲) genes were evaluated by RT‐qPCR. Gas‐liquid chromatography and flow cytometry were per- formed to analyze fatty acids composition and apoptosis. The mRNA expression levels of SCD۱ (۲.۴۷ fold) and COX‐۲ (۶.۴ fold), and also the synthesis of oleate, linoleate, and arachidonate were increased (۱.۱۹, ۱.۰۶, and ۲.۳۷ folds, respectively) in cumulus cells treated with steroid‐depleted serum (p < .۰۵). The synthesis of pal- mitate, palmitoleate, and stearate (۰.۹۹۵, ۰.۶۷, and ۰.۷ folds, respectively) and also the rate of apoptosis were significantly decreased in these cells (p < .۰۵). Moreover, GVs cultured in steroid‐depleted group showed a significantly higher rate of ma- turation (p < .۰۰۱). Overall, our findings imply a new insight into the expansion of IVM system in oocytes development.

کلیدواژه ها:

COX‐۲ ، endometriosis ، in vitro maturation ، SCD۱ ، steroid‐depleted serum