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The Association Between Follicular Fluid Sialic Acid Levels, Oocyte Quality, and Pregnancy Rates

  • Reproductive Endocrinology: Original Article
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Abstract

Sialic acid residues perform important roles in both physiological and pathologic processes. Our aim was to measure the levels of sialic acid in the follicular fluid of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and to assess correlations between IVF parameters and sialic acid levels. All women meeting the inclusion criteria underwent gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment and during oocyte retrieval, follicular fluids of mature follicles were collected and pooled for each patient. Correlation analysis was made between sialic acid levels and oocyte quality. Eighty-seven patients meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled. In terms of oocyte quality and sialic acid, follicular fluid total sialic acid (FF-TSA) levels positively correlated with germinal vesicle oocytes and metaphase I oocytes. In terms of clinical parameters, no correlation between sialic acid levels and body mass index, serum levels of hormones, duration of infertility, and the total dose of gonadotropins was observed. The mean FF-TSA was 86.1±35.19 mg/dl in the clinical pregnancy positive group and was 73.64±22.15 mg/dl in the clinical pregnancy negative group. FF-TSA levels positively correlated with immature oocytes. This can be either as part of the normal oocyte maturation or as a compensatory mechanism against reactive oxygen species during the oocyte maturation process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Research and Training Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Berna Aslan Çetin

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pelin Ocal

  3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Tulay Irez

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Istanbul University Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ezel Uslu

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Kübra Irmak

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

    Suat Karataş

Authors
  1. Berna Aslan Çetin
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  2. Pelin Ocal
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  3. Tulay Irez
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  4. Ezel Uslu
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  5. Kübra Irmak
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  6. Suat Karataş
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Contributions

B Aslan Çetin: manuscript writing and data analysis

P Ocal: project development and manuscript editing

T Irez: project development and data collection

E Uslu: data collection and data analysis

K Irmak: manuscript writing

S Karataş: data analysis

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Berna Aslan Çetin.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all women participated in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Aslan Çetin, B., Ocal, P., Irez, T. et al. The Association Between Follicular Fluid Sialic Acid Levels, Oocyte Quality, and Pregnancy Rates. Reprod. Sci. 29, 633–638 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-021-00688-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-021-00688-y

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