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10:59
Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification
Published on: July 26, 2019
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mtDNA dynamics between cleavage-stage embryos and blastocysts.
Neelke De Munck1, Alberto Liñán2,3, Ibrahim Elkhatib2,3
1IVIRMA Middle East Fertility Clinic, Marina Village, Villa B22-23, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Neelke.DeMunck@ivirma.com.
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics
|August 9, 2019
Summary
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in embryos cannot predict ploidy status, but true euploid blastocysts show lower mtDNA levels. Reproductive age does not influence mtDNA content in embryos during preimplantation genetic testing.
Area of Science:
- Embryology
- Genetics
- Reproductive Medicine
Background:
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays a crucial role in cellular energy production.
- Understanding mtDNA dynamics is essential for assessing embryo viability and developmental potential.
- Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) involves analyzing embryo ploidy status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and its changes in euploid and aneuploid embryos from cleavage to blastocyst stages.
- To assess the impact of female reproductive age on embryonic mtDNA content.
- To investigate the relationship between mtDNA levels and ploidy status after consecutive biopsies.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 40 patients undergoing PGT-A with next-generation sequencing (NGS).
- Analysis of 112 embryos with consecutive biopsies at cleavage (day 3) and blastocyst (day 5) stages.
- Comparison of mtDNA content between euploid and aneuploid embryos, stratified by reproductive age.
Main Results:
- Cleavage-stage mtDNA content was significantly lower in fast-cleaving embryos.
- True euploid blastocysts exhibited significantly lower mtDNA content compared to other groups based on biopsy concordance.
- No significant association was found between mtDNA content (cleavage or blastocyst stage) and ploidy status.
- Reproductive age did not significantly affect mtDNA content at either cleavage or blastocyst stages.
Conclusions:
- Embryonic mtDNA content at cleavage and blastocyst stages is not a reliable predictor of ploidy status.
- Significantly lower mtDNA content in true euploid blastocysts suggests a potential link to developmental competence.
- Female reproductive age does not appear to influence mtDNA content during early embryonic development.
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