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A highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for detecting human embryonic human chorionic gonadotropin in spent embryo culture media during IVF-ET cycle

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the stability and repeatability of electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) for beta-hCG detection in embryo spent culture media. To evaluate the correlation between the viability of preimplantation embryo and beta-hCG profile by the new assay.

Methods

In a retrospective study, a total of 357 spent culture media from day1 to day5 were individually collected and quantified by ECLIA. The blank controls and reliability test were performed with normal saline/pure culture media.

Results

1) There was no detectable amount of beta-hCG in blank controls. A high degree of linearity (R2 = 0.995) was found in this study; intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation were 4.87 % and 6.25 %. 2) A significantly higher concentration of beta-hCG was found at day5 group than it at day3 group, both in total samples (1.47 ± 0.68mIU/ml vs 0.55 ± 0.32mIU/ml) and in homologous embryo samples (1.43 ± 0.91mIU/ml vs 0.52 ± 0.23mIU/ml). 3) There was a positive correlation between beta-hCG concentration and implantation rate (r = 0.559 at day3 and 0.535 at day5) or blastocyst morphological grading (r = 0.411).

Conclusions

ECLIA may be an optimal choice for detecting beta-hCG in spent culture media to assess embryo viability, indicating secreted beta-hCG as a useful biomarker for embryo selection in IVF-ET procedure.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Financial support

This study was supported by the Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2009B030801022) and Nature Science Foundation of China (2008; no.30872762).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Reproductive Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Chen Xiao-yan, Li Jie, Li Tao & Zhuang Guang-lun

  2. Clinical Laboratory Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, No.58 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Jiang Dang & Liu Xin-ru

Authors
  1. Chen Xiao-yan
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  2. Li Jie
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  3. Jiang Dang
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  4. Li Tao
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  5. Liu Xin-ru
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  6. Zhuang Guang-lun
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Li Jie.

Additional information

Capsule The concentration of beta-hCG detected by highly sensitive ECLIA in culture media positively correlated with blastocyst morphological grading and implantation ability, which may make it as a useful biomarker for assessing embryo viability in clinical procedure.

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Xiao-yan, C., Jie, L., Dang, J. et al. A highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for detecting human embryonic human chorionic gonadotropin in spent embryo culture media during IVF-ET cycle. J Assist Reprod Genet 30, 377–382 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-012-9923-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-012-9923-7

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