| Table 3. Biomarkers encompassing miRNAs, morphology parameters, DNA methylation, and patient characteristics: a summary of review results for oocyte evaluation in assisted reproductive technologies. | |||||
| Study | Study design | Oocyte quality predictor | Samples size | Main outcomes | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wirleitner |
Prospective cohort | Follicle size | Follicles from IVF patients (n=118) | Oocyte recovery was lower in small follicles (63.8%) versus medium (76.6%) and large (81.3%); Estradiol and progesterone levels were higher in large compared to medium and small follicles | 0.001, 0.01, 0.05, resp. |
| Martinez et al. (2019) | Cross-sectional | Phenols and phthalates; EVmiRNAs | FF EV-miRNA from IVF patients (n=130) | Select urinary phenol and phthalate biomarkers are associated with altered expression of eight FF EV-miRNAs | <0.05 |
| McCulloh et al. (2020) | Prospective cohort | Follicle size | Follicles from oocyte donors (n=22) | The incidence of MII oocytes was significantly associated with larger follicle size (mm) (ROC’s AUC=0.87) | <0.0001 |
| Yuan et al. (2021) | Prospective experimental | LINE, LTRs, and methylation alterations in PBI promoter | PBIs and sibling MII oocytes (n=74) from donors (n=6) | PBI methylome aligns closely with sibling MII oocyte (r=0.92); elevated LINE & LTR methylation noted in PBIs not progressing to blastocyst | <0.05 both |
| Zhang et al. (2021a) | Prospective observational | EV-miRNAs; BDNF | FF EV-miRNA from ART patients (n=56) | BDNF mRNA and protein levels were higher in FF from mature follicles; | <0.01, <0.05, resp. |
| miR-103a-3p and miR-10a-5p expressions had negative correlations with BDNF mRNA levels in FF | <0.01 both | ||||
| Bartolacci |
Systematic review | Oocyte dismorphisms | Systematic Review (study size=76) | Negative outcomes were associated with COC Morphology, SER, vacuoles, and granulometry with an OLS 8.33,7.78, 7.14, and 6.25, resp. | NA |
| Tepla et al. (2022) | Prospective observacional cohort | MS visibility and relative position to the PB on oocyte maturity | IVF patients (n=679) | Patients >35 years: 32% PR 58/182) with and 24% PR (47/195) without MS visualization | <0.1 both |
| Machtinger |
Prospective cohort | r-hCG, GnRH-a, EV-miRNA | FF EV-miRNA from IVF patients (n=91) | r-hCG stimulation protocol group had fewer oocytes retrieved and fewer mature oocytes than the GnRH-a group; | 0.02 both |
| 41 EV-miRNAs expression levels significantly differed between the two protocols | <0.05 | ||||
ART: assisted reproductive technology; BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; COC: cumulus-oocyte complex; EV miRNA: extracellular vesicle microRNA; FF: follicular fluid; GnRH-a: gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist; IVF: in vitro fertilization; LINE: hypermethylated long interspersed nuclear element; LTRs: long terminal repeats; MII: metaphase II; microRNA: micro RNA; MS: meiotic spindle; NA: not applicable; OLS: oocyte literature score; PB: polar body; PR: pregnancy rate; r-hCG: recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SER: smooth endoplasmic reticulum aggregates.