There is increasing evidence that autoimmune phenomena, including auto-antibody production, may affect fertility in women with endometriosis. The aims of this study are to evaluate anti-laminin-1 antibody (aLN-1) presence in sera and in follicular fluids (FF) of women with endometriosis undergoing IVF and its impact on oocyte maturation and IVF outcome. aLN-1 were measured by a home-made enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in sera and FF obtained from 35 infertile women with endometriosis and in sera from 50 fertile controls and 27 infertile women without endometriosis (IWWE). aLN-1 serum levels were significantly higher in women with endometriosis in comparison with both fertile controls and IWWE (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively) and a positive correlation was found between serum- and FF-aLN-1 (r=0.47, P=0.004). According to the cut-off (mean+3 SD of fertile controls), 31% of women with endometriosis were aLN-1 positive. Metaphase II oocyte counts showed inverse correlation with FF-aLN-1 levels (r=-0.549, P=0.0006). Ongoing pregnancy (i.e pregnancy progressing beyond the 12th week of gestation) occurred in 4/11 aLN-1 positive patients and in 7/24 aLN-1 negative with no significant difference (P=0.7). In conclusion, our results highlight that aLN-1 are increased in women with endometriosis and their presence in FF may affect oocyte maturation leading to a reduced fertility. However, aLN-1 seem to have no effect on IVF outcome.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.