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Correlation of Glycolysis-immune-related Genes in the Follicular Microenvironment of Endometriosis Patients with ART Outcomes

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Abstract

Endometriosis (EMT) -related infertility has been a challenge for clinical research. Many studies have confirmed that abnormal alterations in the immune microenvironment and glycolysis are instrumental in causing EMT-related infertility. Recently, our research team identified several key glycolysis-immune-related genes in the endometrial cells of EMT patients. This study aimed to further investigate the expression patterns of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 (PDK3), glypican-3 (GPC3), and alcohol dehydrogenase 6 (ADH6), which are related to glycolysis and immunity, in the follicular microenvironment of infertile patients with EMT using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. According to the results, compared to the patients with tubal factor infertility, the concentrations of PDK3 and GPC3 were considerably increased in the follicular environment of EMT patients, while ADH6 expression was significantly reduced. The number of oocytes retrieved, the transferable embryo rate, and the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate of EMT patients were significantly reduced, and there was a correlation with the level of PDK3, GPC3, and ADH6 in Follicular Fluid (FF). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for predicting clinical pregnancy in infertile patients with EMT for PDK3, GPC3, ADH6, and their combination was 0.732, 0.705, 0.855, and 0.879, respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our research indicates that glycolysis-immune-related genes may contribute to infertility in EMT patients through immune infiltration, and disruption of mitochondrial and oocyte functions. The combined detection of PDK3, GPC3, and ADH6 in FF helps to predict clinical pregnancy outcomes in infertile patients with EMT.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all research assistants of the Reproductive Medicine Centre of Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji University for their assistance in the collection and analysis of data.

Funding

This study was supported by grants from the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Project (NO.20Z21900400 and NO.22410761100) and the Clinical Research Project of Tongji Hospital (ITJ(ZD)2208).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200065, China

    Shana Guo, Qizhen Chen, Jiaqi Liang & Yanqiu Wang

  2. Department of Health Services Administration, Temple University College of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA

    Huanmei Wu

  3. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200065, China

    Li Li

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  1. Shana Guo
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  5. Li Li
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Correspondence to Li Li or Yanqiu Wang.

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This study was approved by the ethics committee of Tongji Hospital affiliated with Tongji University (Ethics approval number: 2020-KYSB-118).

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Shana Guo and Qizhen Chen are co-first author.

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Guo, S., Chen, Q., Liang, J. et al. Correlation of Glycolysis-immune-related Genes in the Follicular Microenvironment of Endometriosis Patients with ART Outcomes. Reprod. Sci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01518-7

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