Follicular Metabolites-Assisted Clinical Evaluation of IVF/ICSI Outcomes

As infertility became a significant public health problem, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) were introduced. However, the fertilization rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) per cycle varied, and patients needed to repeat IVF or change to intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Here, 75 couples suffering from female fallopian tubal blockage (tubal group) and 42 spouses beset by male abnormal sperm status (dysspennia group) were recruited. We comprehensively explored the relationship among couples' clinical factors, follicular metabolites, and IVF/ICSI stepwise outcomes. IVF/ICSI outcomes were affected by follicular metabolites and physical status in both women and men, regardless of which side infertility came from. Particularly, in the tubal group, the energy supporting pathways-glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism-were most essential in follicles, and IVF/ICSI outcomes were also related to sperm parameters. However, in the dysspennia group, in addition to sperm conditions, oocyte quality acted as a compensation for poor sperm quality, for which aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and the related supporting metabolism were critical in the follicular environment, and ultimately played a decisive role in IVF/ICSI outcomes. The respective logistic regression models in combination with selective male spenn parameters, estradiol (E2), follicular alanine, glutamine, glycoprotein, lipid, and acetic acid, were constructed to predict IVF or ICSI outcomes. No matter which sex infertility comes from, factors from both men and women should be considered. The current study provides a feasible option for pre-IVF evaluation, as well as guidance for follow-up clinical intervention to improve IVF/ICSI success rates.

Automated summary

The outcomes of IVF/ICSI are affected by follicular metabolites and physical status in couples, with different mechanisms in tube and sperm abnormalities groups, and male and female factors play crucial roles in IVF/ICSI results.