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Assessment of cell-free DNA and apoptosis in an oocyte microenvironment: promising biomarkers to predict intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2023

Hasnae Debbarh Open the ORCID record for Hasnae Debbarh [Opens in a new window] ,
Malak Jamil Open the ORCID record for Malak Jamil [Opens in a new window] ,
Hasnae Jelloul ,
Achraf Zakaria ,
Noureddine Louanjli  and
Rachida Cadi
Hasnae Debbarh*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Physiopathology and Biotechnology. Department of Biology, Ain Chock Faculty of Sciences, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco
Malak Jamil
Affiliation:
IVF Center IRIFIV, Iris Clinic, Casablanca, Morocco
Hasnae Jelloul
Affiliation:
IVF Center IRIFIV, Iris Clinic, Casablanca, Morocco Labomac IVF Center and Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Casablanca, Morocco
Achraf Zakaria
Affiliation:
IVF Center IRIFIV, Iris Clinic, Casablanca, Morocco Labomac IVF Center and Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Casablanca, Morocco
Noureddine Louanjli
Affiliation:
IVF Center IRIFIV, Iris Clinic, Casablanca, Morocco Labomac IVF Center and Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Casablanca, Morocco Anfa Fertility Center, Private Clinic of In Vitro Fertilization and Endoscopic Surgery, Casablanca, Morocco
Rachida Cadi
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Physiopathology and Biotechnology. Department of Biology, Ain Chock Faculty of Sciences, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco
*
Author for correspondence: Debbarh Hasnae. Laboratory of Molecular Genetic Physiopathology and Biotechnology. Department of Biology, Ain Chock Faculty of Sciences, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco. E-mail: debbarhhasnae@gmail.com
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Summary

Cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) is defined as DNA fragments that are released into the body fluids from apoptosis or necrosis cells, including follicular fluid (FF), which can affect the microenvironment of the oocyte associated with infertility. We aimed to investigate a relationship between apoptosis of cumulus cells (CCs) and cf-DNA levels in FF and clinical outcomes of women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Therefore, 82 FF samples were collected, and the corresponding CCs were isolated for ICSI procedures. FF cf-DNA concentration was quantified using ALU-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and CCs DNA fragmentation index (DFI) was evaluated by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) method. We found that cf-DNA and DFI levels were significantly higher in FF and CCs samples related to the age of women ≥37 years compared with the age of women < 37 years. Moreover, in older and younger women, FF cf-DNA and CCs DFI levels were significantly lower when the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level was > 1.1 ng/ml compared with when AMH ≤ 1.1 ng/ml. In addition, patients with a low number of retrieved oocytes ≤ 6 had significantly higher levels of CCs DFI and FF cf-DNA than women with a higher number of retrieved oocytes > 6. Additionally, we observed that higher levels of cf-DNA and DFI were associated with poor oocyte maturity and poor embryo quality. Finally, cf-DNA and DFI levels were significantly lower in pregnant women than in non-pregnant ones. We conclude that DFI and cf-DNA levels in the oocyte microenvironment could have potential use in evaluating oocyte and embryo developmental competence.

Keywords

Cell-free DNACumulus cellsDNA fragmentation indexHuman follicular fluidICSI outcomes
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2023 , pp. 296 - 302
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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