CEFYBO   02669
CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS FARMACOLOGICOS Y BOTANICOS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
“Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Follicular fluid reveals a pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory environment in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization”
Autor/es:
MONICA FAUT; IGNACIO DE ZUÑIGA; DANIELA COLACI; A OUBIÑA; G TERRADO GIL; ALICIA BEATRIZ MOTTA
Lugar:
Roma, Italia
Reunión:
Congreso; ESHRE 2010- 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology, Roma 2010; 2010
Institución organizadora:
European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology
Resumen:
Abstract: Introduction: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by hyperandrogenemia, ovarian cysts and anovulation. No single etiologic factor entirely account for all the spectrum of symptoms related to PCOS. The primary abnormality seems to be an excess of androgens in the ovary that leads to the recruitment of large number of small follicles which fails to respond to normal gonadotrophin levels. Even though PCO patients have lots of follicles, they are arrested at an early to mid-developmental state and fail to mature. Previous studies have reported different degrees of follicular oxidative stress in women with PCOS, but consistent data is still missing. The imbalance between the oxidant and the antioxidant processes generates cell damage and may affect follicular function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oxidative and inflammatory status of preovulatory follicles in women with PCOS. Material & methods: We analyzed follicular fluid (FF) obtained from 15 PCOS infertile women and 15 controls (infertile women undergoing IVF/ICSI due to male factor, tubal factor –endometriosis excluded-, or sterility without a cause). FF was collected while performing transvaginal oocyte retrieval. PCOS was diagnosed according to the Rotterdam consensus criteria. In order to evaluate the presence of oxidative stress we quantified lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the antioxidant defenses represented by the metabolite glutathione and the superoxide dismutase activity. Moreover, we also analyzed the inflammatory environment by quantifying the concentration of prostaglandin (PG) E and prostaglandin F2 alpha. LPO and antioxidants were measured using specific espectrophotometric assays and PGs using specific radioimmuno assays. Results: We found that LPO and superoxide dismutase activity corresponding to PCOS follicles did not differ from those of controls. On the contrary, the concentration of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione was almost double in the FF from PCOS patients as compared to controls (0.007+0.001 vs 0.0039 +0.001 umol/mg protein respectively). When analyzing inflammatory markers we found that both PGs were significantly increased in the FF from PCOS patients compared to controls (PGE=3.7+0.7 vs 0.54+0.3 pg/mg protein and PGF2alpha= 8.4+0.8 vs. 2.9+0.7pg/mg protein, respectively). Conclusions: Our results indicate that an incipient pro-oxidant environment is found in follicular fluid from PCOS patients. Despite lipid peroxidation index was not altered, we could characterize the pro-oxidant status by demonstrating an increased production of glutathione. These data may suggest that follicles neutralize the lipid peroxidation by increasing glutathione levels in an attempted to restore the oxidative balance. In addition, we also found that FF obtained from PCOS women showed a pro-inflammatory status since PGE and PGF2 alpha are significantly increased. These abnormalities may explain a small part of the impaired follicle development in PCOS women. Further characterization of the oxidant and inflammatory environment is required to understand how they may impact on follicle dynamics. Co-authors: M. Faut1, I. de Zúñiga2, D. Colaci2, E. Barrios1, A. Oubiña2, G. Terrado Gil2, A. Motta1.1CEFYBO, Laboratorio de Fisiopatologia Ovarica, Buenos Aires, Argentina.2PREGNA, Reproductive Medicine, Buenos Aires, Argentina.