Embryo sHLA-G secretion is related to pregnancy rate

Abstract

SummaryHLA-G expression has been detected in early preimplantation embryos and it has been postulated that a relationship between embryonic expression of this factor and successful pregnancy may exist. Forty-six patients were prospectively selected from our centre ‘Unidad de Reproducción Humana, Hospital Universitario de Canarias’ for conducting this study. In all cases, metaphase II (MII) oocytes were fertilized using intracytoplasmic sperm injection 2–4 h after retrieval. Embryos were cultured individually in 20 µl droplets of G-1 medium (VitroLife) under oil at 37°C and a 6% CO2 environment. Fertilization was assessed at 18 h postinsemination and all oocytes fertilized were passed into a new culture plaque individually in 300 µl culture medium until day 3 of culture. The culture medium was examined for the expression and secretion of sHLA-G with a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (BioVendor, Heidelberg, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We found statistical significance between higher levels of sHLA-G secretion and pregnancy rate. When both groups were compared there was no difference in embryo quality of transferred embryos, but a significant difference in the number of oocytes and the embryo quality of the cohort existed that was greater in the pregnant group. A standardized sHLA-G assay with a specifically defined range and standard units provides a non-invasive method to identify the most competent embryos for transfer.

Soluble human leukocyte antigen‐G is a potential embryo viability biomarker and a positive predictor of live‐births in humans

“…11,13 To overcome the limitation of embryo scoring system, 8,9,11,13 embryo viability molecular-biomarkers are being considered. Biomarkers, associated with positive IVF outcomes, reported thus far [18][19][20][21][22][23] include, soluble human leukocyte antigen-G: sHLA-G, [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] ubiquitin, 35 apolipoprotein-A, 36 platelet-activating factor: PAF, 37 mitochondria and its DNA content, 38,39 human haptoglobin molecule, 40,41 human chorionic gonadotrophin: hCG 42,43 and cytokines such as interleukin 1 β (IL-1β), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α). 44,45 Embryo viability biomarkers are thought to be beneficial with a high predictive value for forecasting pregnancy outcome, which could act as an adjunct to embryo score.…”

“…33 The sHLA-G is one of the promising biomarkers considered in view of its following attributes: (1) sHLA-G expressed in pre-implantation embryos [46][47][48][49][50] and endometrium 51,52 involved in the immunoregulation of embryo development 25,26,53 and implantation, 54,55 (2) it positively correlates with embryo morphology, 30,31,55,56 IR [26][27][28]53,[57][58][59][60] and clinical pregnancy rates (CPR). 24,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]53,57,59,60…”

Cytokines in embryonic secretome as potential markers for embryo selection

“…In a multicenter study, it has been shown that embryo selection based on a positive sHLA‐G secretion on day‐2 could increase the odds of an ongoing pregnancy about 2.52 times 88 . In accordance, Diaz et al 89 reported significantly higher levels of sHLA‐G secretion in embryos resulted in pregnancy compared to those of unsuccessful pregnancy (28.0 ± 18.8 vs. 19.0 ± 17.6 unit/ml). More interestingly, in a meta‐analysis study conducted by Niu et al, 90 it has been revealed that embryo culture media with sHLA‐G positively associated with implantation (OR: 2.66, CI: 95%, p < .00001) and clinical pregnancy (OR: 3.79, CI: 95%, p < .00001) rates compared with those without.…”

Evaluation of Maternal Serum sHLA-G Levels for Trisomy 18 Fetuses Screening at Second Trimester

“…Previous studies have revealed that higher levels of sHLA-G in an embryo culture is related to better embryo development, cleavage stages, and to a higher pregnancy rate (Kotze et al, Diaz et al, 2019). sHLA-G detection has been presented as a non-invasive method for embryo selection and a predictor of pregnancy outcome (Kotze et al, 2010;Rebmann et al, 2010).…”