Impact of hydrosalpinx fluid on early human embryos

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the impact of hydrosalpinx fluid (HF) on early human embryonic development. A total of 33 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for hydrosalpinx were selected, and the HF specimens obtained from these patients were subjected to bacterial culture, Chlamydia antigen detection, biochemical analysis, and cytokine detection. Meanwhile, human embryos derived from three pronuclei (3PN) were cultured in various HF concentrations. There was no significant difference in the chemical components and physical characteristics between colorless and colored HF specimens, apart from the glucose concentration which was significantly higher in colorless HF. K⁺ and HCO₃⁻ were significantly increased (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01), and Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and glucose were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P = 0.006, and P = 0.007) in the two HF specimens, compared to blastocyst culture medium (G-2 medium); no phosphates were detected in the HF specimens. Compared to colorless HF, the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) in the colored HF specimens were significantly increased (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the Chlamydia antigen-positive rate between the HF groups (62.5% vs. 70.6%), and no bacterial growth occurred in the HF specimens. There were no significant differences in the development of the 3PN embryos between the two HF groups (P > 0.05). High-concentration HF (75%) significantly affected the rates of blastulation, blastocyst hatching, and high-quality blastocyst formation (P < 0.05). HF is related to chlamydial infection. Embryonic development may be significantly affected only in high-concentration HF, possibly due to the deficiency of essential elements required for embryonic development. TNF-α and IL-2 concentrations were found to vary between the clear and colored HF specimens; however, TNF-α and IL-2 in HF do not appear to exert adverse effects on embryonic development.

KEYWORDS:

• Blastocyst
• cytokines
• embryo
• hydrosalpinx fluid

Declaration of interest

All authors have no conflict of interest regarding this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hongchu Bao

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.

Qinglan Qu

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.

Xin Huang

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.

Meimei Wang

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.

Xinrong Wang

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.

Cuifang Hao

Conceived and designed the experiments: HB, CH; Performed the experiments: HB, QQ, XH; Analyzed the data: HB, MW; Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: HB, MW, CH, XW; Wrote the manuscript: HB, CH. All authors approved revisions and the final paper.