Mitophagy suggesting a possible association with oocyte maturation: A study of granulosa cells from follicular fluid of normoresponder and diminished ovarian reserve cases

Abstract

Objective This study investigated mitophagy, a kind of mitochondrial dysfunction, as a biomarker for oocyte maturation by analyzing granulosa cells from follicular fluid in normoresponder (NOR) and diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) cases. The aim was to evaluate the expression of mitochondrial dynamics genes, Mitofusin-1 (MFN-1), Mitofusin-2 (MFN-2), and PARKIN, in granulosa cells surrounding oocytes at Metaphase I (MI) and Metaphase II (MII) stages.Methods In this experimental study, follicular fluid samples were collected from 30 NOR and 30 DOR women undergoing IVF and subdivided according to MI and MII oocyte maturation stages. Granulosa cells were isolated, morphologically assessed, and analyzed for gene expression using qRT-PCR.Results NOR MII granulosa cells exhibited the healthiest morphology and highest cell numbers, while DOR MI samples showed the most degeneration. MFN-1 expression was significantly decreased in DOR MI compared to NOR MI, while MFN-2 was higher in DOR MI and NOR MII. PARKIN expression was lower in DOR compared to NOR in both MI and MII. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships among MFN-1, MFN-2, and PARKIN in NOR MII.Conclusions These findings suggest that mitophagy-related gene expression profiles in granulosa cells may serve as non-invasive biomarkers for predicting oocyte quality and embryo development in IVF.