The aim of this study was to find some relationship between amino acid metabolism and the embryo morphokinetic parameters studied via time-lapse analysis. Study included 48 human embryo samples and their culture media. Two groups of embryos were identified: embryos reached the 8-cell stage on day 3 (n=34) and embryos failed to develop at any point during the incubation (n=14). Amino acids levels were measured on day 3 of embryo development; using time-lapse analysis, the precise timing of embryo cleavage, synchrony of division, grade of fragmentation etc. were established. No statistically significant differences between dividing and arresting embryos were observed in terms of amino acids production/consumption and turnover. Amino acids which were part of the culture medium did not exhibit any statistically significant correlation with kinetic parameters with the exception of the grade of fragmentation on day 3; there were negative correlation with glutamate, and positive with glutamine, glycine and taurine. In some dividing and in some arresting embryos appeared new amino acids which strongly correlated with each other, with methionine, but not with any other amino acid that is a regular part of the culture medium.
Three months of tamoxifen treatment of 43 men with idiopathic oligozoospermia, out of which 20 completed the study, resulted in a significant enhancement of sperm motility, but the improvement of sperm parameters was in no relation to the FSH response to short time tamoxifen treatment. There was a significant increase of testosterone, estradiol, LH, FSH, SHBG, 17 alpha-hydroxy-progesterone and also of 11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione, an androgen of exclusively adrenal origin, during the treatment and (with the exception of the latter), on the first week after discontinuation of the therapy. Significantly elevated testosterone and SHBG concentrations were retained still 9 weeks after finishing of the therapy. The results confirm that tamoxifen treatment provides conditions more favourable for conception and demonstrate that also adrenal steroidogenesis is positively influenced by this antiestrogen.
With regard to previous finding of an inhibitory activity of furosemide on 1113-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 16 other commonly used diuretics have been tested as to their ability to inhibit rat renal, and in four instances also testicular 113-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, using glycerrhetinic acid as a standard. In addition, epitestosterone has been tested as well, with respect to its recently demonstrated inhibitory activity on several other enzymes of androgen biosynthesis. Besides corticosterone, 113-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione has been used as a substrate. Of all drugs studied, quinapril, dihydralazin, trandolapril, metipamid, methyldopa, betaxolol only appeared to be weak inhibitors of 11 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, with an inhibitory activity 10-28% of that of glycyrrhetinic acid. Using corticosterone as a substrate, epitestosterone displayed a weak inhibitory activity with K1 850, 1200 nmol/l and Vmax 2420, 3900 nmol/l mm for renal and testicular enzyme, respectively. In contrast to kidneys, the testicular 113-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase accepted also 11 3-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione as a substrate, which could be inhibited by epitestosterone (K 1490 nmol/l, Vmax 1150 nmol/l. mm). The results represent further evidence for different substrate specificity of renal and testicular 11 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.
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