This study was designed to determine the relevance between the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in microenvironment (follicular fluid or culture media) and the embryo development in IVF/ICSI cycles. A total of 466 follicles from 174 IVF/ICSI cycles were collected for this study. The ROS levels in monofollicular fluid and spent culture media were evaluated by chemiluminescence assay with luminol as a probe. The results demonstrated that it is in ICSI cycles that elevated ROS levels in follicular fluid were associated with day 3 poor embryo quality. The ROS levels in spent culture media were correlated with advanced degree of fragmentation. In addition, ROS levels in culture media, instead of in follicular fluid, were negatively correlated with implantation potential of embryos. The ROS levels in culture media may be viewed as an embryo metabolic marker and function as an adjuvant criterion for embryo selection.
BalabanBUrmanB. Embryo culture as a diagnostic tool. Reprod Biomed Online. 2003;7(8):671–682.
2.
ScottRTJrTreffNR. Assessing the reproductive competence of individual embryos: a proposal for the validation of new "-omics" technologies. Fertil Steril. 2010;94(3):791–794.
3.
GardnerDKLaneM. Towards a single embryo transfer. Reprod Biomed Online. 2003;6(4):470–481.
4.
MiyazakiTSueokaKDharmarajanAMAtlasSJBulkleyGBWallachEE. Effect of inhibition of oxygen free radical on ovulation and progesterone production by the in-vitro perfused rabbit ovary. J Reprod Fertil. 1991;91(1):207–212.
5.
de LamirandeEHarakatAGagnonC. Human sperm capacitation induced by biological fluids and progesterone, but not by NADH or NADPH, is associated with the production of superoxide anion. J Androl. 1998;19(2):215–225.
6.
AgarwalASalehRABedaiwyMA. Role of reactive oxygen species in the pathophysiology of human reproduction. Fertil Steril. 2003;79(4):829–843.
7.
GuerinPEl MouatassimSMenezoY. Oxidative stress and protection against reactive oxygen species in the pre-implantation embryo and its surroundings. Hum Reprod Update. 2001;7(2):175–189.
8.
FujiiJIuchiYOkadaF. Fundamental roles of reactive oxygen species and protective mechanisms in the female reproductive system. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2005;3:43.
9.
GotoYNodaYMoriTNakanoM. Increased generation of reactive oxygen species in embryos cultured in vitro. Free Radic Biol Med. 1993;15(1):69–75.
10.
Wiener-MegnaziZVardiLLissakA. Oxidative stress indices in follicular fluid as measured by the thermochemiluminescence assay correlate with outcome parameters in in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril. 2004;82(suppl 3):1171–1176.
11.
PasqualottoEBAgarwalASharmaRK. Effect of oxidative stress in follicular fluid on the outcome of assisted reproductive procedures. Fertil Steril. 2004;81(4):973–976.
12.
DasSChattopadhyayRGhoshS. Reactive oxygen species level in follicular fluid--embryo quality marker in IVF?Hum Reprod. 2006;21(9):2403–2407.
13.
BedaiwyMAFalconeTMohamedMS. Differential growth of human embryos in vitro: role of reactive oxygen species. Fertil Steril. 2004;82(3):593–600.
14.
BedaiwyMAMahfouzRZGoldbergJM. Relationship of reactive oxygen species levels in day 3 culture media to the outcome of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Fertil Steril. 2010;94(6):2037–2042.
15.
HuangCCLinDPTsaoHMChengTCLiuCHLeeMS. Sperm DNA fragmentation negatively correlates with velocity and fertilization rates but might not affect pregnancy rates. Fertil Steril. 2005;84(1):130–140.
16.
SteerCVMillsCLTanSLCampbellSEdwardsRG. The cumulative embryo score: a predictive embryo scoring technique to select the optimal number of embryos to transfer in an in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer programme. Hum Reprod. 1992;7(1):117–119.
17.
Van RoyenEMangelschotsKDe NeubourgD. Characterization of a top quality embryo, a step towards single-embryo transfer. Hum Reprod. 1999;14(9):2345–2349.
18.
LeeTHWuMYChenMJChaoKHHoHNYangYS. Nitric oxide is associated with poor embryo quality and pregnancy outcome in in vitro fertilization cycles. Fertil Steril. 2004;82(1):126–131.
19.
KobayashiHGil-GuzmanEMahranAM. Quality control of reactive oxygen species measurement by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay. J Androl. 2001;22(4):568–574.
El MouatassimSGuerinPMenezoY. Expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes in human and mouse oocytes during the final stages of maturation. Mol Hum Reprod. 1999;5(8):720–725.
22.
JurisicovaAVarmuzaSCasperRF. Programmed cell death and human embryo fragmentation. Mol Hum Reprod. 1996;2(2):93–98.
23.
LopesASLaneMThompsonJG. Oxygen consumption and ROS production are increased at the time of fertilization and cell cleavage in bovine zygotes. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(11):2762–2773.
24.
TrimarchiJRLiuLPorterfieldDMSmithPJKeefeDL. Oxidative phosphorylation-dependent and -independent oxygen consumption by individual preimplantation mouse embryos. Biol Reprod. 2000;62(6):1866–1874.
25.
BedaiwyMAMahfouzRZGoldbergJM. Relationship of reactive oxygen species levels in day 3 culture media to the outcome of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Fertil Steril. 2010;94(6):2037–2042.
26.
YangHWHwangKJKwonHCKimHSChoiKWOhKS. Detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis in human fragmented embryos. Hum Reprod. 1998;13(4):998–1002.
27.
SeliESakkasDScottRKwokSCRosendahlSMBurnsDH. Noninvasive metabolomic profiling of embryo culture media using Raman and near-infrared spectroscopy correlates with reproductive potential of embryos in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril. 2007;88(5):1350–1357.
28.
SeliEVergouwCGMoritaH. Noninvasive metabolomic profiling as an adjunct to morphology for noninvasive embryo assessment in women undergoing single embryo transfer. Fertil Steril. 2010;94(2):535–542.
