title: Implantation Failure Is Associated With Increased α-Inhibin and β-Glycan Gene Expression in Secretory Phase Endometrium: Nested Case-Control Study of Infertile Women Undergoing IVF/Fresh Embryo Transfer.
abstract: Embryo implantation involves a complex sequence of events, and a large amount of molecules have been postulated to be involved in the interaction of embryo and endometrium. This study evaluated the endometrial expression of α-inhibin and β-glycan in the mid-secretory phase of women scheduled to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and tested whether these markers are associated with implantation failure. We performed a nested case-control study including 52 women submitted to IVF and embryo transfer, divided into 2 groups: cases with implantation failure (n = 33) and controls with confirmed clinical pregnancy (n = 19). Endometrial α-inhibin and β-glycan gene expression was evaluated in the mid-secretory phase of the natural menstrual cycle immediately before IVF, using real-time polymerase chain reaction. We found a higher gene expression of α-inhibin (fold increase = 2.14 ± 0.32, P < .05) and β-glycan (fold increase = 1.44 ± 0.16, P < .05) in implantation failure patients compared to confirmed clinical pregnancy patients. The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves for prediction of implantation failure in this context were 0.692 and 0.678 for α-inhibin and β-glycan, respectively. The present results suggest that high expression levels of α-inhibin and β-glycan transcripts in secretory phase endometrium are associated with a lower chance of achieving pregnancy with IVF.
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carolina P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Rezende
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helen L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Del Puerto
authors.affiliation: 1 Division of Human Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000628:therapy; D007265:Inhibins / Q000235:genetics*; D008183:Luteal Phase; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000235:genetics*; D012372:ROC Curve; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D011509:Proteoglycans; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; C094377:inhibin-alpha subunit; C071736:betaglycan; D007265:Inhibins
keywords: TGF-β superfamily; endometrial receptivity; growth factors