Does thiol/disulfide homeostasis affect the number of metaphase 2 oocyte in the treatment of in vitro fertilization?

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effect of thiol/disulfide homeostasis on the number of oocytes retrieved and metaphase 2 (M2) oocytes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. Method: A prospective study of 94 patients who were admitted to the in vitro fertilization clinic was conducted. Serum samples were taken on the oocyte pick-up day and kept until the analysis. Thiol and disulfide were measured in order to evaluate the total thiol/disulfide. Results: A statistically significant correlation was observed between disulfide and M2. Conclusion: This study provides an inexpensive and noninvasive method to measure oxidative stress, and suggests that there is a positive correlation between the number of M2 and disulfide, resulting in low-impact oxidative stress. Lay abstractIn vitro fertilization success is a most important issue, and a lot of factors have been shown to affect its success. Oxidative stress is one of the most important of these factors. There are a lot of ways to measure oxidative stress, and here we wanted to show the effect of oxidation in in vitro fertilization success by using a new, cheaper method. The study provides an important contribution to the literature by showing the positive effect of a small amount of oxidative stress on oocyte maturation.