Evaluation of the potential of miR-21 as a diagnostic marker for oocyte maturity and embryo quality in women undergoing ICSI.

MicroRNAs are small molecules that play a crucial role in regulating a woman's reproductive system. The present study evaluates the expression of miR-21 in the serum, follicular fluid (FF), and cumulus cells (CCs) and their association with oocyte maturity and embryo quality in women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Women subjects were divided into the case (54 Patients with female factor infertility) and control groups (33 patients with male factor infertility). The level of miR-21 was measured using Real-Time PCR. The level of miR-21 was significantly lower in the CCs, FF, and serum in the case compared to the control group (p < 0.05). MiR-21 abundance was higher in FF and CCs samples than in serum. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in CCs to FF in the case group (p < 0.05). A significant decrease in oocyte count, MII oocytes, and percentage of mature oocytes were observed in the case group (p < 0.05). The expression of miR-21 in FF and CCs was positively related to oocyte maturation, but no correlation with embryo development was observed. This study found that miR-21 is expressed less in women with female factor infertility, and human oocytes' development is crucially affected by the expression of miR-21. Therefore, miR-21 could provide new helpful biomarkers of oocyte maturity.

Evaluation of expression CXCL8 chemokine and its relationship with oocyte maturation and embryo quality in the intracytoplasmic sperm injection method.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of the chemokine CXCL8 in both mRNA and protein levels in the serum, follicular fluid (FF), and cumulus cells (CCs) and its relationship with oocyte maturation and embryo quality in women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). METHODS: A total of 87 women who underwent an ICSI cycle were evaluated in two groups, including the case group (female factor infertility) and the control group (fertile). In the serum, FF, and CCs, the protein and mRNA expression of CXCL8 were measured using immunosorbent assay and Real-Time PCR, respectively. The quality and quantity of the oocytes and embryos were assessed, and the relationship of protein and mRNA CXCL8 was evaluated with oocyte maturation and embryo quality. RESULTS: The level of protein and mRNA of CXCL8 was significantly higher in the serum, FF, and CCs in the case group than in the control group. In the case group, the expression of mRNA and protein of CXCL8 had a significant increase in FF and CCs compared to serum; also, there was a CXCL8 protein significant increase in FF compared to CCs. The count of oocytes obtained, MII oocytes and the percentage of oocyte maturity significantly decreased in the case group. The expression of CXCL8 was inversely related to oocyte maturation, but no relationship was observed with embryo quality. CONCLUSIONS: The elevated concentrations of CXCL8 in the serum and FF seem to be a predictor as a potential non-invasive biomarker for the oocyte maturation outcome in women with different causes of female factor infertility.

The effect of vitamin B12 supplement on post-thaw motility, viability and DNA damage of human sperm.

Sperm cryopreservation may lead to adverse effects on sperm structure and function. Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) has antioxidant potential and can protect DNA from free radical-induced damages. Recent studies have shown that vitamin B12 preserves glutathione that leads to modulate oxidative stress responses. Also, vitamin B12 might act directly as a scavenger of ROS. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin B12 supplementation on human sperm parameters during the cryopreservation process. Thirty semen samples were obtained from normozoospermic men. Using cryopreservation medium supplemented with different concentrations of vitamin B12 (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 2.5 mg/ml), the semen samples were cryopreserved. After thawing, all samples were evaluated for motility and viability. Based on results, 2 mg/ml was considered as the optimal concentration of vitamin B12 for evaluating sperm DNA fragmentation. The results showed that 1 and 2 mg/ml vitamin B12 significantly increased post-thawing motility and viability compared with the 0 mg/ml vitamin B12 (p < .05). Also, by supplementing with 2 mg/ml vitamin B12, DNA fragmentation decreased when compared to the control. The present study showed that cryopreservation medium supplemented with vitamin B12 at 2 mg/ml could improve sperm quality after freeze-thaw process.

The Effect of Iranian Propolis on Glucose Metabolism, Lipid Profile, Insulin Resistance, Renal Function and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial.

Propolis is a natural product with many biological properties including hypoglycemic activity and modulating lipid profile. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of Iranian propolis extract on glucose metabolism, Lipid profile, Insulin resistance, renal and liver function as well as inflammatory biomarkers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. The duration of the study lasted 90 days. Patients with T2DM were recruited and randomly divided into an Iranian propolis group (1000 mg/day) (n = 50) and a placebo group (n = 44). There was a significant decrease in the serum levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), 2-hour post prandial (2hpp), insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function (HOMA-ß), High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). However, there was a notable elevation in the serum HDL-C in the propolis group compared with the placebo group. In addition, a notable reduction in serum liver transaminase (ALT and AST) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations in the propolis group was observed. Iranian propolis has beneficial effects on reducing post prandial blood glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance, and inflammatory cytokines. It is also a useful treatment for preventing the liver and renal dysfunction, as well as, elevating HDL-C concentrations in patients with T2DM.