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Preliminary proteomic analysis on the alterations in follicular fluid proteins from women undergoing natural cycles or controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
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Abstract

Purpose

To study the differences in protein expression profiles of follicular fluid (FF) between controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and natural ovulatory cycles.

Methods

Twelve infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF–ET), with matched clinical information, were retrospectively recruited in the IVF center of our university hospital, including six undergoing COH and another six with natural cycles. FF was sampled from dominant follicles with mature oocytes. Protein expression profiles in each FF sample were analyzed respectively using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and validated by western blotting. Differentially expressed proteins were further analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software.

Results

Two proteins were downregulated and 11 proteins were upregulated (change ≥1.5-fold, P < 0.05) in the COH group. We identified one down-egulated and seven upregulated proteins using MALDI-TOF MS. Four differentially expressed proteins, including transferrin, complement component C3 (C3), haptoglobin and alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), were further validated by rate nephelometry and western blotting analyses. The IPA analysis revealed a significant network involved in the humoral immune and inflammatory responses.

Conclusions

The eight differentially expressed proteins were related to immune and inflammatory responses in the ovary. Our results provide new insights into the influence of COH on follicular (spp) development and IVF outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants from the National Science & Technology Pillar Program during the 12th Five-year Plan Period of China (No. 2012BAI32B04) and the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LY13H040002).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital of China welfare Institute, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Yan-Ting Wu, Jun-Yu Zhang & He-Feng Huang

  2. Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Yan Wu, Ning-Ning Hou, Ai-Xia Liu, Jie-Xue Pan & Jie-Yang Lu

  3. Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Zhejiang University), Hangzhou, China

    Jian-Zhong Sheng

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  1. Yan-Ting Wu
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Correspondence to He-Feng Huang.

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Capsule

To study the effect in the follicular milieu of ovarian stimulation versus no stimulation, we analyzed protein expression profiles of follicular fluid from six women undergoing COH IVF and another six with natural cycles using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Eight differentially expressed proteins were identified and related to immune and inflammatory responses in the ovary.

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Wu, YT., Wu, Y., Zhang, JY. et al. Preliminary proteomic analysis on the alterations in follicular fluid proteins from women undergoing natural cycles or controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. J Assist Reprod Genet 32, 417–427 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0419-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0419-5

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