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ABSTRACT: Objective
To determine how body mass index (BMI) affects the follicular fluid cytokine milieu and investigate how this inflammatory environment impacts cumulus signaling.Design
Experimental study.Setting
Tertiary hospital based research laboratory.Patients
Women with normal (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2) and obese (35 to 42 kg/m2) BMI undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Interventions
Cumulus cell treatment with obese follicular fluid, interleukin (IL) 10, and IL-1β.Main outcome measures
Follicular fluid cytokine concentrations between normal and obese women were compared using multiplex bead assay. Differential cumulus cell gene expression of GREM1, HAS2, PTGS2, and VCAN were measured using quantitative reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) while protein levels were determined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy.Results
Compared to women with normal BMI, women with BMI ≥35 kg/m2 undergoing ICSI had higher follicular concentrations of IL-10 (9.46 pg/mL [0.59-19.16] vs 53.39 pg/mL [14.97-236.37], p=0.004) and IL-1β (1.92 pg/mL [1.92-5.18] vs 5.18 pg/mL [1.92-16.33], p=0.017), as well as decreased relative cumulus cell expression of GREM1 (1.01 [0.66-1.40] vs 0.51 [0.38-0.74], p=0.03), a surrogate marker of positive ICSI outcomes. Furthermore, elevated IL-10 and IL-1β appear to be responsible for decreasing GREM1 expression in women with BMI ≥35 kg/m2.Conclusion
Our findings suggest that follicular inflammation associated with obesity impacts cumulus cell signaling. At a molecular level, derangements to the immune system resulting in decreased GREM1 expression may be a partial explanation for the suboptimal ICSI outcomes observed with obesity.
SUBMITTER: Kim T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8291741 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature