Background: A series of proteinases, such as the matrix metalloproteinases,a Disintegrin-like and Metalloproteinase withThrombospondin type-۱ motif (ADAMTS) proteinases, havevery critical roles in damage and repair of extracellular matrix(ECM) processes (remodeling). The aim of this study was toinvestigate changes of
ADAMTS-۱ and
ADAMTS-۴ gene expressionin cumulus cells of
PCOS and their association withprogesterone receptors expression and oocyte maturity.Materials and Methods: In this study, ۷۴ infertile women ۱۸-۴۰ years old who underwent oocyte recovery at an IVF clinicwere recruited; ۳۷
PCOS patient and ۳۷ infertile women withnormal ovulatory function as the control group. After approvalof Hamadan University of Medical Sciences ethics committeeand written informed consent of the patients, cumulus cells(CCs) were obtained from women undergoing oocyte retrievaland categorized according to the oocyte nuclear maturationstage: GV or MII (metaphase II stage). Total RNA was extractedand reverse transcription was performed. Gene expression ofADAMTS-۱ and
ADAMTS-۴ was determined by quantitativereal-time PCR method (q-PCR).Results: Our data revealed that a decreased expression levelsof
ADAMTS-۱ and
ADAMTS-۴ in the CCs of
PCOS womencompared to the healthy women with normal ovarian function(P=۰.۰۲ and P=۰.۰۱ respectively). Furthermore, we observedincreased expression levels of
ADAMTS-۱ and ADAMTS-۴in the CCs of mature oocytes compared to the GV oocytes(P=۰.۰۲ and ۰.۰۱ respectively).In this study, we observed astrong positive correlation between the expression of progesteronereceptor A with
ADAMTS-۱ and
ADAMTS-۴ (r=۰.۷۱,P=۰.۰۰۰۱, and r=۰.۵۸, P=۰.۰۰۰۱ respectively). The sensitivityand specificity of
ADAMTS-۱ were found to be ۹۰% and ۶۷%,respectively [(an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ۰.۸)].Conclusion:
ADAMTS-۱ and
ADAMTS-۴ express in GVoocytes with lower levels in mature oocytes and might be animportant manifestation in gonadotropin-stimulated patientswhich could influence oocyte maturation and can be consideredas a potential diagnostic biomarker.