Level of IGF1 in follicular fluid associated with IVF pregnancy outcome in the application of growth hormone.

Abstract

The combination of growth hormone (GH) with gonadotropin was a prevalent method to improve clinical reproduction in adjuvant for assisted reproduction treatment (ART). However, the contradictory results from previous studies failed to confirm the benefits. The present study is focused on the mechanism analysis of GH-IGF1-gonadal axis in ART and the changes of IGF1 in follicular fluid among different types of patients. We recruited 136 patients and divided them into eight groups according to their ages and ovarian reserves. The baseline characteristics of the study population were summarized. The therapeutic outcomes in the study population were observed. In the meantime, concentrations of IGF1 in follicular fluids from different types of patients who underwent GH strategy were measured by Western blot. The functional mechanism of GH-IGF1-gonadal axis in ART was also analyzed. We analyzed the baseline characteristics of the study population, the therapeutic outcome of GH-IGF-1-gonadal axis, as well as the relative protein level of IGF1 and IGFBP1 in follicular fluid from different groups. The chemical pregnancy rate was significantly increased in different degrees for groups with GH co-treatment compared to groups without GH co-treatment. The IGF1 in follicular fluid of patients under 35 years' old showed an upward trend compared with groups of poor, normal and high ovarian reserves. After GH induction, IGF1 in follicular fluid was significantly increased in patients over 35 years old. The study suggested that the application of GH might be beneficial to the pregnancy outcome in patients. GH application in patients older than 35 years might have a beneficial effect on pregnancy outcome via promoting the expression of IGF1. Our study indicates a different mechanism from GH application among younger and older patient in ART and provides a new clue for individual clinical treatment in infernity patients.