Author(s):
Brinca, Ana Teresa ; Anjos, O. ; Alves, Maria Manuel ; Sousa, Ângela ; Oliani, António Hélio ; Breitenfeld, Luísa ; Passarinha, Luís A. ; Ramalhinho, Ana Cristina ; Gallardo, Eugenia
Date: 2022
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/8629
Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco
Subject(s): Infertility; Polycystic ovary syndrome; Endometriosis; Premature ovarian failure; Follicular fluid; Volatile organic compounds; Solid-phase microextraction; Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
Description
Due to its high prevalence, infertility has become a prominent public health issue, posing a significant challenge to modern reproductive medicine. Some clinical conditions that lead to female infertility include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and premature ovarian failure (POF). Follicular fluid (FF) is the biological matrix that has the most contact with the oocyte and can, therefore, be used as a predictor of its quality. Volatilomics has emerged as a non-invasive, straightforward, affordable, and simple method for characterizing various diseases and determining the effectiveness of their current therapies. In order to find potential biomarkers of infertility, this study set out to determine the volatomic pattern of the follicular fluid from patients with PCOS, endometriosis, and POF. The chromatographic data integration was performed through solid-phase microextraction (SPME), followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The findings pointed to specific metabolite patterns as potential biomarkers for the studied diseases. These open the door for further research into the relevant metabolomic pathways to enhance infertility knowledge and diagnostic tools. An extended investigation may, however, produce a new mechanistic understanding of the pathophysiology of the diseases.
