| In vitro maturation (IVM) is a novel approach to overcome the adverse effects of
human in vitro fertilization (IVF). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the
effect of total and steroid‐depleted serum obtained from patients with endometriosis
on IVM outcome as supplementation for this system. To this purpose, patients with
endometriosis were selected according to in/excluding criteria. Germinal vesicles
(GVs) and cumulus cells were treated with 10% of each serum. The expression levels
of stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD 1) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) genes were
evaluated by RT‐qPCR. Gas‐liquid chromatography and flow cytometry were performed to analyze fatty acids composition and apoptosis. The mRNA expression
levels of SCD1 (2.47 fold) and COX‐2 (6.4 fold), and also the synthesis of oleate,
linoleate, and arachidonate were increased (1.19, 1.06, and 2.37 folds, respectively) in
cumulus cells treated with steroid‐depleted serum (p < .05). The synthesis of palmitate, palmitoleate, and stearate (0.995, 0.67, and 0.7 folds, respectively) and also
the rate of apoptosis were significantly decreased in these cells (p < .05). Moreover,
GVs cultured in steroid‐depleted group showed a significantly higher rate of maturation (p < .001). Overall, our findings imply a new insight into the expansion of
IVM system in oocytes development. |