Levels of total antioxidant capacity and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine of serum and follicular fluid in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: focusing on endometriosis

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress (OS) markers, total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (TAC) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the serum and follicular fluid (FF) of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The impact of these biomarkers on IVF outcome was also analysed. Samples were obtained from 61 patients (age: 36.40 ± 4.99 years; BMI: 22.54 ± 2.46; infertility: 3.7 ± 2.5 years [mean ± SD]) before and after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Patients with and without endometriosis were also evaluated separately. TAC was quantified by enhanced chemiluminescence assay and 8-OHdG was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It was demonstrated that these biomarkers responded to COH differently. No relationship could be detected in their FF levels, although their cumulative serum levels were inversely related. Both FF TAC and FF 8-OHdG had a negative impact on the number of good quality embryos, but an effect of Serum TAC and 8-OHdG could not be observed. When women with and without endometriosis were evaluated separately, inconsistent results were obtained. However, women without endometriosis had higher levels of serum and FF TAC when they progressed to clinical pregnancy. Our findings support the notion that OS has an important contribution to the reproductive potential in IVF patients, the ideal biomarkers of outcome measures, however, need to be further explored.

Keywords:

• Oxidative stress
• good quality oocytes
• embryo quality
• reproductive potential
• endometriosis

Acknowledgements

We want to thank women who underwent IVF treatment at the Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Pécs, for participating in our study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00021 ‘The use of chip-technology in increasing the effectiveness of human in vitro fertilization’ and NKFI-EPR K/115394/2015 ‘Early biochemical indicators of embryo viability’. The funding sources did not have any role in the study design; in collection, analysis and interpretation of data, or in writing and submitting this manuscript.