Cui Na, Wang Luning, Wang Wei, Zhang Jie, Xu Yueming, Jiang Lei, Hao Guimin
Department of Reproduction, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, China.
Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2017 Nov;20(11):1268-1274. doi: 10.22038/IJBMS.2017.9488.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in plasma anandamide (AEA) levels throughout the normal menstrual cycle, and to analyze the relationship among AEA, sex steroids and gonadotrophins.
The patients were fertile women with normal menstrual cycle, proposed to get fertilization (IVF) treatment due to oviduct obstruction or male infertility. Patients were divided into two groups, cross-sectional (n=79) and longitudinal (n=10). The plasma AEA levels were examined by the ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) system. The serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), and progesterone (P) were measured by chemiluminescence.
The AEA levels in the late follicular phase were slightly higher than those in the early follicular phase. Subsequently, the AEA levels peaked at the time of ovulation in both two cohorts. Finally, the lowest AEA levels were measured in the luteal phase. Moreover, there were highly significant positive correlations between the plasma AEA concentration and the serum levels of FSH, LH and E2, whereas the AEA level was not correlated with P during the normal menstrual cycle.
Our observations reveal a dynamic change in the plasma AEA level, which is closely associated with the levels of gonadotrophin and sex steroid hormones, suggesting that the hormones may be involved in the regulation of AEA levels during the menstrual cycle. Our studies help to design new strategies to improve implantation and treatments for reproductive diseases.
本研究旨在调查正常月经周期中血浆花生四烯酸乙醇胺（AEA）水平的变化，并分析AEA、性激素和促性腺激素之间的关系。
患者为月经周期正常的育龄妇女，因输卵管阻塞或男性不育拟接受体外受精（IVF）治疗。患者分为两组，横断面组（n = 79）和纵向组（n = 10）。采用超高效液相色谱串联质谱（UPLC-MS/MS）系统检测血浆AEA水平。采用化学发光法测定血清卵泡刺激素（FSH）、黄体生成素（LH）、雌二醇（E2）和孕酮（P）水平。
卵泡晚期的AEA水平略高于卵泡早期。随后，两组的AEA水平在排卵时均达到峰值。最后，在黄体期测得最低的AEA水平。此外，血浆AEA浓度与FSH、LH和E2的血清水平之间存在高度显著的正相关，而在正常月经周期中AEA水平与P无关。
我们的观察结果揭示了血浆AEA水平的动态变化，这与促性腺激素和性激素水平密切相关，表明这些激素可能参与月经周期中AEA水平的调节。我们的研究有助于设计新的策略来改善着床情况及治疗生殖疾病。
