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Detection of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α level in human single-blastocyst conditioned medium using ultrasensitive Single Molecule Array platform and its relationship with embryo quality and implantation: a pilot study

  • Embryo Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose was to investigate the association between embryonic development or implantation and the content of interleukin-6 and 10 (IL-6, IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in single-blastocyst conditioned medium (SBCM).

Methods

Thirty-eight SBCM samples (SBCMs) were collected from blastocysts with different morphological scores. IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α concentration in 38 SBCMs was detected by Single Molecule Array and compared according to the blastocyst quality: top-quality (TQ) and non-top quality (NTQ), or blastulation time: day 5 (D5) and day 6 (D6). In another experiment, 61 SBCMs were collected from TQ blastocyst transplanted on D5, and IL-6 concentration in SBCM was compared based on whether embryos are implanted or not (implanted and non-implanted).

Results

In the first experiment, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α concentration was not significantly different between the TQ-SBCM and NTQ-SBCM. The D6-SBCM had a higher IL-6 concentration compared with the D5-SBCM, while IL-10 and TNF-α concentration was not significantly different between the D5-SBCM and D6-SBCM. The IL-6 concentration in D5-NTQ or D6-TQ SBCM was higher than that in D5-TQ or D6-NTQ SBCM (P < 0.05), respectively. Furthermore, the spearman analysis demonstrated that IL-6 concentration in SBCM was negatively correlated with the blastocyst quality on D5 and positively correlated with the blastocyst quality on D6. In the second experiment, no significant difference in IL-6 concentration was found between SBCM from implanted and non-implanted blastocyst.

Conclusion

IL-6 concentration in SBCM was associated with embryo quality depending on the blastulation time, although it might not be associated with the blastocyst implantation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the help of all staff of the IVF laboratory in the fertility center of Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital (Shenzhen, China).

Funding

This study was funded by Basic Research Program of Shenzhen (No. JCYJ20160427113153295), clinical research special fund of Chinese Medical Association (Grant No. 18010120741), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21807072), Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen (SZSM201502035), and National Key Research & Developmental Program of China (2018YFC1003904)

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Author notes

  1. Huixian Zhong and Qing Sun contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Reproductive Immunology for Peri-implantation, Shenzhen Zhongshan Institute for Reproduction and Genetics, Fertility Center, Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, 518045, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Huixian Zhong, Qing Sun, Peilin Chen, Feng Xiong, Guangui Li, Caiyun Wan, Zhihong Yao & Yong Zeng

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  1. Huixian Zhong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yong Zeng.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital (Approval number: SZZSECHU-20180021) on June 12, 2018.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Zhong, H., Sun, Q., Chen, P. et al. Detection of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α level in human single-blastocyst conditioned medium using ultrasensitive Single Molecule Array platform and its relationship with embryo quality and implantation: a pilot study. J Assist Reprod Genet 37, 1695–1702 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-020-01805-7

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