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Is NMR metabolic profiling of spent embryo culture media useful to assist in vitro human embryo selection?

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Abstract

Object

The prediction of embryo viability by usual morphological analysis is currently unsatisfactory. New non-invasive techniques such as high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy that allows assessment of metabolic profiling in spent culture media might help embryologists to predict embryo development.

Materials and methods

Individual microdrops of culture media were analysed after 24 h of embryo culture (from day 3 to day 4) by spectroscopy using a 1 mm microliter probe allowing analysis without sample dilution. Embryos were divided into two groups on day 5: non-arrested embryos (n = 19) and arrested embryos unable to reach the blastocyst stage (n = 20). Multivariate analysis techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed to compare extracellular metabolite balance.

Results

1H-NMR used in combination with a 1 mm probe suggested that in vitro cultured human embryos that have a high developmental potential modify their environment slightly compared to embryos that cease to develop. However, differences between the two groups did not reach statistical significance and multivariate statistical analysis did not allow clustering of the two groups.

Conclusion

This study indicated that this technique would not be sufficiently powerful alone to provide information that might help to assess the developmental potential of individual embryos for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

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Acknowledgments

We thank Doreen Raine for correcting the English manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U930, UFR de Médecine, 10 Blvd Tonnellé, 37044, Tours Cedex 9, France

    Lydie Nadal-Desbarats, Hélène Blasco, Patrick Emond & Christian R. Andres

  2. Département d’Analyses Chimique Biologique et Médicale, PPF “Analyses des Systèmes Biologiques”, Tours, France

    Lydie Nadal-Desbarats & Patrick Emond

  3. Service de Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, CHRU de Tours, 37044, Tours, France

    Ségolène Veau, Dominique Royere & Fabrice Guérif

  4. Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biologie moléculaire, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France

    Hélène Blasco & Christian R. Andres

  5. INRA, UMR85, CNRS, UMR6175 PRC, 37380, Nouzilly, France

    Dominique Royere & Fabrice Guérif

  6. Université François Rabelais, Tours, France

    Lydie Nadal-Desbarats, Ségolène Veau, Hélène Blasco, Patrick Emond, Dominique Royere, Christian R. Andres & Fabrice Guérif

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  1. Lydie Nadal-Desbarats
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Correspondence to Lydie Nadal-Desbarats.

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Nadal-Desbarats, L., Veau, S., Blasco, H. et al. Is NMR metabolic profiling of spent embryo culture media useful to assist in vitro human embryo selection?. Magn Reson Mater Phy 26, 193–202 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-012-0331-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-012-0331-x

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