Comparison of serum and follicular fluid hormone levels with recombinant and urinary human chorionic gonadotropin during in vitro fertilization.

OBJECTIVE: To study serum and follicular fluid (FF) hormone levels after the administration of urinary or recombinant hCG to initiate the final stages of oocyte maturation during IVF. DESIGN: Prospective randomized study between 250 microg of recombinant hCG and 7,500 IU of urinary hCG as the final trigger of ovulation during IVF. SETTING: Private IVF center. PATIENT(S): Infertile women undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using the long protocol and recombinant FSH. INTERVENTION(S): IVF treatment. Serum and FF hormone measurements on the day of oocyte collection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Serum and FF E(2), P, hCG, and T levels. RESULT(S): Stimulation parameters, serum and follicular E(2), P, T, and hCG levels were similar in the recombinant and urinary hCG groups. The number of oocytes retrieved from follicles >14 mm, the proportion of mature oocytes, fertilization rate, and pregnancy rate (PR) were also comparable. CONCLUSION(S): Recombinant and urinary hCG provided similar serum and follicular hormonal environments during the final stages of oocyte maturation. The IVF outcome parameters were also comparable. The two medications appear to be equally effective.

Effect of nickel (ni(2+)) on primary human ovarian granulosa cells in vitro.

Human ovarian granulosa cells obtained from women undergoing in vitro fertilization were exposed to 15.6, 31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1000 muM Ni(2+) for 48 h. To determine the site of action of Ni(2+), the granulosa cells were stimulated to produce progesterone (P) by using maximally stimulating amounts of human chorionic gonadotropin (0.1 IU/ml hCG) or dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (1 mM db-cAMP). The luteinizing hormone (LH) analog hCG was chosen because resultant P production requires an intact membrane receptor and db-cAMP was used to test for post LH receptor defects caused by Ni(2+). Progesterone content of the culture medium was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and viability of the cells was measured by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) reduction test. Concentration-dependent depression in both hGC and db-cAMP stimulated P production was seen at 15.625 muM or higher concentration of Ni(2+), which is not cytotoxic on human ovarian granulosa cells. The viability of cells was unaffected up to 31.25 muM and decreased significantly at 62.5 muM. Our results show a dose-related depression in stimulated P production of granulosa cells at a dose that does not induce significant cytotoxic action. These data indicate that the effect of Ni(2+) on P production is not due to cytotoxicity, and the cellular site(s) of inhibitory action appears to be subsequent to the membrane receptor and production of cAMP.