The production and clinical evaluation of macrophage colony-stimulating factor and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 in human follicular fluids.

Abstract

In order to investigate the role of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in human ovulation, we measured the concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 in human follicular fluids (FFs) and correlated them with oocyte maturation. The oocytes were obtained from the FFs of 46 women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF ET). The concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 in the FFs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, granulosa cells obtained from the FFs of IVF patients were cultured and treated with forskolin and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) for 24 48 hr. Concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 were significantly higher in the FFs than in the serum (P < 0.01). M-CSF concentrations tended to be higher, while MCP-1 concentrations were significantly higher in the FFs containing mature oocytes than in FFs containing immature oocytes (P < 0.05). The production of M-CSF was markedly increased over the basal level after treatment with forskolin (10 microM) for 24 (P < 0.02) and 48 hr (P < 0.01); however, the production of MCP-1 was unchanged. Our data suggest that M-CSF and MCP-1 may play an important role in human preovulatory processes and that M-CSF, in particular, may be regulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate. M-CSF and MCP-1 may also be valuable biochemical markers in the evaluation of oocyte maturation.