Potential biomarkers for clinical outcomes: screening in follicular
fluid and embryo culture fluid in PCOS patients
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the different metabolites and related metabolic
pathways in follicular fluid and embryo culture fluid of polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS groups. Finding markers predictable
for clinical outcomes of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET)
treatment. Design: Single center cross-sectional study Setting: Center
for Reproductive Medicine, Zhengzhou University First Affiliated
Hospital. From September 2019 to October 2019 Population and sample: 60
women who underwent IVF-ET were selected, including 30 with PCOS and 30
with the fallopian tubal issues only. We collected the first tube of
follicular fluid (FF) and the wasted embryo culture medium (ECM) of all
women. Methods: All samples were performed nontargeted Ultra High
Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-QE-MS)
analysis. Related metabolic pathways were screened by KEGG annotation.
To search potential indicators, the logistic regression was made
combined with clinical data. Mean outcome measures: Predictive
performance of markers for clinical outcomes (pregnancy rate, delivery
rate, live birth rate, miscarriage rate). Results: Comparing the PCOS
group against the non-PCOS group, we found 11 significantly different
metabolites in the FF and 56 in the ECM. And a total of 11 kinds of
biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Androsterone sulfate,
Glycerophosphocholine, and Elaidic carnitine seem robust to predict the
abortion rate of the PCOS group, with AUC of 0.941, 0.933, 0.933,
respectively. The glycerol phospholipid metabolic pathway is enriched in
both the follicular fluid and embryo culture fluid. Conclusions: The
differential metabolites were mainly a variety of lipids. Some of them
can predict clinical outcomes to a certain extent.