Evaluation of the Quality and Health of Embryos Resulting from In Vitro Maturation (IVM) under the Influence of Stem Cell Secretome

Subject Areas : Journal of Animal Biology

Hilda Rastegari ¹ , Nasim Hayati Roodbari ² , Somaieh Kazemnejad ³ , Soheila Ansaripour ⁴

1 - Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
4 - Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-03-18 Accepted : 2025-05-09 Published : 2025-06-18

Keywords: Stem cells, In Vitro Maturations, Polycystic Ovary, Preimplantation Genetic Screening, aneuploidy,

Abstract :

The role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is mainly dependent on their paracrine components, namely their secretome. The use of stem cells has been recognized as a novel approach in the treatment of infertility and in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM) and has shown promising results, especially in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, the health of the resulting embryos remains a major challenge. In this study, menstrual blood stem cell secretome was used for in vitro oocyte maturation in 100 patients with PCOS, and the health of the embryos was assessed by preimplantation genetic screening for aneuploidy (PGT-A). The resulting embryos were cultured to the blastocyst stage and their chromosomal status was assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The results showed that the total number of embryos produced did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the age group under 30 years, the difference in the total number of embryos between the control and experimental groups was not statistically significant, and although the percentage of high-quality embryos in the secretome group increased compared to the control group, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.207). In the age group over 30 years, the number of embryos between the two groups was not significantly different, but the percentage of high-quality embryos in the secretome group was significantly higher than the control group. Also, in people over 30 years, the quality of the embryos improved and there was no significant difference in terms of aneuploidy, euploidy, and mosaicism. IVM had no significant effect on the health of the embryos in terms of aneuploidy and mosaicism. These findings indicate the safety and efficacy of the in vitro maturation method of oocytes using stem cell secretome in the treatment of infertility.

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