Role of oxidative stress markers in predicting the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies

Oxidative stress develops due to an imbalance between the prooxidant and antioxidant systems of the body. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of various diseases has been demonstrated, while the impact of oxidative stress on the processes of folliculogenesis and oogenesis has been inadequately studied today. Objective: To evaluate the informative value of oxidative stress markers in the blood and follicular fluid of patients in predicting the outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) programs. Subjects and methods. The prospective cohort study included 108 married couples with infertility of different genesis; according to the onset of a clinical pregnancy as a result of the investigated ART cycle, all the patients were divided into 2 groups: 1) 38 patients with the clinical onset of pregnancy; 2) 70 women with no pregnancy after an ART cycle. Malondialdehyde (MDA), the ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG), and the enzymatic activity of catalase were used as parameters characterizing the level of oxidative stress and the activity of the body’s antioxidant systems. Results. Blood MDA levels were significantly higher and amounted to 4.9±0.7in Group 2 than those in Group 1 (4.5±0.7) (p = 0.0473). In addition to MDA levels, the occurrence of pregnancy was affected by patient age, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations, and the number of obtained mature oocytes. In Group 1, the MDA levels did not correlate with other markers of oxidative stress and with the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients. In Group 2, the level of MAD in the blood had a statistically significant strong positive correlation with that in the follicular fluid (r = 0.703; p < 0.0001) and a statistically significant negative correlation with the enzymatic activity of catalase in the follicular fluid (r = -0.319; p = 0.0455). Conclusion. This investigation determined the importance of oxidative stress markers in predicting the outcomes of ART programs. The manifestations of systemic oxidative stress may result in IVF failure, which is most likely due to the decreased quality of oocytes and embryos. This hypothesis is evidenced by the fact that the patients with IVF failures had significantly higher blood levels of oxidative stress markers, which had an impact on the level of prooxidants in the follicular fluid.

assisted reproductive technologies (ART), in vitro fertilization (IVF), oxidative stress markers, follicular fluid, malondialdehyde, enzymatic activity of catalase