Comparison of the Mitophagy and Apoptosis Related Gene Expressions in Waste Embryo Culture Medium of Female Infertility Types.
Kütük. Duygu D; Öner. Çağrı Ç; Başar. Murat M; Akcay. Berkay B; Olcay. İbrahim Orçun İO; Çolak. Ertuğrul E; Selam. Belgin B; Cincik. Mehmet M
Key Findings
- Humanin gene expression differs between infertility groups (e.g., higher in some poor ovarian reserve cases, lower in PCOS)
- Waste embryo culture fluid reflects mitochondrial and apoptotic gene activity without touching the embryo
- The study is the first to link humanin levels to oocyte health in this non‑invasive way
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the main takeaway is that humanin may be a marker of mitochondrial health in reproductive cells, but there’s no direct guidance on dosing or supplementation. More research is needed before this can be turned into a practical protocol for longevity or performance.
Summary
This study looked at how the natural peptide humanin is expressed in the fluid surrounding embryos from different types of infertile women. It found that humanin levels change depending on the infertility condition, suggesting the fluid could hint at mitochondrial health, but it doesn’t tell you how to use humanin as a supplement or treatment.
Abstract
Mitochondria is an important organelle for the oocyte-to-embryo transition in the early embryonic development period. The oocyte uses mitochondria functionally and its mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content as the main energy source in the embryo development at the preimplantation stage. The aim of this study is to compare mitophagic, apoptotic and humanin gene expressions from the culture medium fluid in which embryos are developed and monitored among normoresponder (NOR), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), young and older patients with poor ovarian reserve (POR). The study groups consisted of infertile patients who applied to the Bahçeci Umut IVF Center as NOR (Control), PCOS, POR-Advanced (POR-A) and POR-Young (POR-Y). After the isolation of total RNA from the collected samples, MFN1, MFN2, PINK1, PARKIN, SMN1, SMN2, p53 and Humanin gene expressions were determined by Real Time-PCR. The average age of only the POR-A was determined to be higher than the NOR (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The MFN1, SMN2 (<i>p</i> < 0.05), Humanin and p53 gene expressions (<i>p</i> < 0.001) increased, while PINK1 gene expression decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.05), in the POR-Y compared to the NOR. A decrease in MFN2, PARKIN (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and PINK1 gene expressions was determined in the PCOS compared to the NOR (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, a decrease was observed in MFN2, PINK1 (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and Humanin gene expressions compared to the NOR (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The current data are the first in the literature determining the apoptotic and mitophagic status of the oocyte. The current results prove that waste embryo culture fluid may provide a non-invasive profile for important cellular parameters such as mitochondrial dysfunction in female infertility. The evaluation of significant cellular parameters can be performed much earlier without any intervention into the embryo.
Study Information
pubmed
2024
2024-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
10.3390/life14111507
60