Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Department of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Para-Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2021 Oct;304(4):1097-1105. doi: 10.1007/s00404-021-06039-1. Epub 2021 Mar 26.
The present study aimed to explore the associations between the expression pattern of molecules in the Notch pathway in the cumulus cells of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients and the quality of zygotes and embryos.
A total of 200 cumulus complexes surrounding mature oocytes were obtained from 40 patients with and without PCOS undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The expressions of Notch-1, Notch-2, and Notch-3 genes were examined by Reverse Transcription Q-PCR assay. Moreover, immunocytochemistry was performed for the expressions of Jagged-1 and Jagged-2 proteins. The correlations between the Notch receptors and their ligand expressions and the qualities of the zygote and embryo were investigated.
The expression levels of Notch-2, Notch-3, Jagged-1, and Jagged-2 were significantly lower in patients with PCOS than in normal women (p < 0.05), while Notch-1 showed no meaningful difference between the groups. A positive correlation was found between Notch-1 and embryo quality. Furthermore, only Notch-2 and Jagged-2 marginally correlated with zygote quality.
The data of the present study indicated that evaluating the molecules in the Notch pathway in PCOS patients' cumulus cells provides a novel approach to predict the zygote and embryo quality. However, further studies on a larger population are needed to validate this finding.
本研究旨在探讨多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）患者卵丘细胞中 Notch 通路分子的表达模式与卵裂期胚胎和胚胎质量之间的关系。
本研究共纳入了 40 例行卵胞浆内单精子注射（ICSI）的 PCOS 患者和非 PCOS 患者，从其成熟卵周围的卵丘细胞中获取了 200 个卵丘复合体。采用逆转录 Q-PCR 检测 Notch-1、Notch-2 和 Notch-3 基因的表达，同时采用免疫细胞化学法检测 Jagged-1 和 Jagged-2 蛋白的表达。并对 Notch 受体及其配体的表达与卵裂期胚胎和胚胎质量之间的相关性进行了研究。
与正常女性相比，PCOS 患者的 Notch-2、Notch-3、Jagged-1 和 Jagged-2 的表达水平显著降低（p<0.05），而 Notch-1 在两组之间无明显差异。Notch-1 与胚胎质量呈正相关。此外，只有 Notch-2 和 Jagged-2 与卵裂期胚胎质量有轻微相关性。
本研究的数据表明，评估 PCOS 患者卵丘细胞中 Notch 通路分子可以为预测卵裂期胚胎和胚胎质量提供一种新的方法。但是，还需要更大的人群研究来验证这一发现。
