The Role of Kisspeptin in In Vitro Fertilization Treatment

After careful consideration, the Endocrine Society canceled its annual meeting (ENDO 2020), which was set to take place in San Francisco, California, from March 28 to 31, 2020, because of concerns regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Research findings that were scheduled to be presented at the meeting have been published in a supplemental issue of the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The society is hosting ENDO Online, a complimentary virtual event featuring on-demand and live programming, from June 8 to 22, 2020, to provide a platform for continued learning and research exhibition. For more information, visit the Endocrine Society’s website.

Kisspeptin might play a role in augmentation of preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge, improvement of oocyte maturation, and ovulation in patients with infertility who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, according to study results intended to be presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society (ENDO 2020).

Kisspeptin, a stimulatory factor of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, may be used to trigger ovulation during IVF treatment. In the current study, the researchers compared the levels of various reproductive hormones and serum and follicular fluid kisspeptin levels between successful and unsuccessful clinical pregnancies in different stages of IVF treatment.

The study cohort included 30 women aged 26 to 40 years who underwent IVF treatment. Blood samples were collected in the early follicular phase (beginning of gonadotropin stimulation [T1]), late follicular phase (scheduled day of ovum pick-up [T2]), and day of ovum pick-up (T3).

Successful clinical pregnancy, determined based on fetus heart rate at 6 weeks’ gestation, was evident in 10 participants. For the remaining 20 patients, the treatment was deemed to be unsuccessful.

In the group of patients with successful clinical pregnancy, serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels were significantly higher at T1 and serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels were significantly lower at T1 and T2 compared with the unsuccessful treatment group (P <.05).

At T1, serum kisspeptin had negative correlations with the number of retrieved oocytes (R=-0.511), matured oocytes (R=-0.388), and 2 pronuclear score (R=-0.451; P <.05 for all). At T2, serum kisspeptin levels tended to be higher in the group of patients with successful clinical pregnancy (P =.09) and had positive correlations with serum luteinizing hormone (R=0.455). At T3, serum kisspeptin had positive correlations with serum estradiol (R=0.380), the number of retrieved oocytes (R=0.601), matured oocytes (R=0.565), and 2 pronuclear score (R=0.562; P <.05 for all).

The researchers also found a significant negative correlation between fluid kisspeptin levels with serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels at T3 (R=-0.482) but a positive correlation with the number of matured oocytes (R=0.407). Kisspeptin levels in the follicular fluid (3.34±3.74 ng/mL) were significantly higher than in serum at T3 (0.51±0.13 ng/mL; P <.01).

The researchers concluded that “kisspeptin might be used as a potential predictor of successful IVF treatment.”

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Reference

Qin L, Sitticharoon C, Petyim S, et al. The associations of kisspeptin with reproductive hormones and oocyte maturation in infertile patients who underwent IVF treatment. J Endocr Soc. 2020;4(suppl 1):SAT-019.

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