AUTHOR=Li Yuehan , Cai Lei , Guo Na , Liu Chang , Wang Meng , Zhu Lixia , Li Fei , Jin Lei , Sui Cong 

TITLE=Oviductal extracellular vesicles from women with endometriosis impair embryo development

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2023.1171778

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2023.1171778

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>To investigate the influence of oviductal extracellular vesicles from patients with endometriosis on early embryo development.</p></sec><sec><title>Design</title><p><italic>In vitro</italic> experimental study</p></sec><sec><title>Setting</title><p>University-affiliated hospital.</p></sec><sec><title>Patients</title><p>Women with and without endometriosis who underwent hysterectomy (n = 27 in total).</p></sec><sec><title>Interventions</title><p>None.</p></sec><sec><title>Main outcome measures</title><p>Oviductal extracellular vesicles from patients with endometriosis (oEV-EMT) or without endometriosis (oEV-ctrl) were isolated and co-cultured with two-cell murine embryos for 75 hours. Blastocyst rates were recorded. RNA sequencing was used to identify the differentially expressed genes in blastocysts cultured either with oEV-EMT or with oEV-ctrl. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed to identify potential biological processes in embryos that oEV-EMT affects. The functions of oEV on early embryo development were determined by reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial membrane potentials (MMP), total cell numbers, and apoptotic cell proportions.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Extracellular vesicles were successfully isolated from human Fallopian tubal fluid, and their characterizations were described. The blastocyst rates were significantly decreased in the oEV-EMT group. RNA sequencing revealed that oxidative phosphorylation was down-regulated in blastocysts cultured with oEV-EMT. Analysis of oxidative stress and apoptosis at the blastocysts stage showed that embryos cultured with oEV-EMT had increased ROS levels, decreased MMP, and increased apoptotic index. Total cell numbers were not influenced.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Oviductal extracellular vesicles from patients with endometriosis negatively influence early embryo development by down-regulating oxidative phosphorylation.</p></sec>