Article

Relationship between fertilization results after intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and intrafollicular steroid, pituitary hormone and cytokine concentrations.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Granada, Spain.
Human Reproduction (impact factor: 4.47). 04/1999; 14(3):628-35. pp.628-35
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Previous studies relating hormone and cytokine concentrations in follicular fluid to oocyte fertilizability were flawed by the uncertainty about the actual oocyte maturity status at the time of recovery and by the possible contribution of the male factor to failures of conventional in-vitro fertilization. This is the first study in which oocyte maturity was assessed immediately after recovery and only mature oocytes were selected for treatment by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Fertilization outcomes were related to follicular fluid concentrations of 17beta-oestradiol, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha). Those oocytes that subsequently showed normal fertilization were harvested from follicles with higher concentrations of progesterone, GH, PRL, IL-1 and TNF alpha as compared with those of oocytes that failed to fertilize. Among the normally fertilized oocytes, low GH concentrations were associated with the failure of cleavage and with poor morphology of cleaving embryos, whereas rapidly cleaving embryos developed from oocytes recovered from follicles with high concentrations of LH and IL-1. These data suggest important roles for GH, IL-1 and TNF alpha, and of residual LH after pituitary suppression, as positive regulators of the final phase of oocyte intrafollicular development.

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Keywords

actual oocyte maturity status
 
conventional in-vitro fertilization
 
cytokine concentrations
 
Fertilization outcomes
 
fertilized oocytes
 
follicle stimulating hormone
 
follicular fluid concentrations
 
growth hormone
 
higher concentrations
 
intracytoplasmic sperm injection
 
low GH concentrations
 
luteinizing hormone
 
mature oocytes
 
oocyte intrafollicular development
 
oocyte maturity
 
positive regulators
 
residual LH
 
showed normal fertilization
 
TNF alpha
 
tumour necrosis factor-alpha
 

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