title: Human embryo development and pregnancies in an homologous granulosa cell coculture system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to determine the effects of the coculture of embryos on human granulosa cells (GCs) in patients in the first cycle of IVF-ET treatment and in patients with repeated implantation failures and to investigate the presence of specific proteins in a 48-hr GC conditioned medium and the GC ultrastructural characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients with tubal or idiopathic infertility were enrolled in this study: 7 patients (Trial 1) were in the first cycle of IVF-ET treatment and 11 patients (Trial 2) had repeated implantation failures (one to five). Embryos from each patient were cocultured randomly either on homologous granulosa cells or on a conventional culture medium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the coculture period (day 5 or 6), 50% of the embryos (Trial 1) reached the blastocyst stage, with respect to 35% in Trial 2. The pregnancy rate per retrieval was 14.2 and 9%, respectively, in Trial 1 and in Trial 2. Many conditioned media showed proteins of 24-29 kDa. and some of them showed additional proteins of 90 kDa. The ultrastructural analysis of GCs showed healthy, metabolically active, protein-synthesizing, and mostly steroidogenic cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GC cultures improve embryo development but not pregnancy rates both in Trial 1 and in Trial 2.
authors.affiliation: Infertility and IVF Centre, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Porcu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marsella
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Primavera
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cecconi
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nottola
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venturoli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flamigni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000628:therapy; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D011506:Proteins