Relationship between ovarian stimulation regimen and cytokine concentration in follicular fluid and their effect on fertilization and pregnancy outcome of patients undergoing ICSI program.
OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to evaluate the presence of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in pre-ovulatory follicular fluid (FF) in patients undergoing ovarian hyperstimulation for intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment, to determine the differences between the concentrations of these cytokines in relation to ovarian stimulation regimens, and to find the relationship between these parameters and estradiol 17-beta, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration in serum, as well as ICSI outcome.


METHODS
IGF-I and PDGF were measured in the FF of 85 patients. The IGF-I levels were measured by radioimmunoassay, whereas the concentrations of PDGF and EGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique, using commercially available kits.


RESULTS
IGF-I (0.42 +/- 0.09 ng/mL), PDGF (307.3 +/- 274.5 pg/mL), and EDF (8.88 +/- 6.4 pg/mL) were present in pre-ovulatory FF in patients undergoing ovarian hyperstimulation for ICSI treatment. The mean concentration of IGF-I in the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) group was significantly higher (P = 0.036) than that found in the human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG)/FSH group, whereas no significant difference in the mean concentrations of PDGF (P = 0.58) and EGF was shown between all investigated groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Controlled ovarian stimulation regimens affect only IGF-I levels in FF and the cytokine concentrations of all investigated groups, in turn, showed no correlation either with steroid hormones in serum or ICSI outcome.
Hammadeh
M E
ME
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany. frmham@med-rz.uni-sb.de
Braemert
B
B
Baltes
S
S
Georg
T
T
Rosenbaum
P
P
Schmidt
W
W
D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D015571:Follicular Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000379:methods*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D016207:Cytokines; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone