TL;DR
Ovariohysterectomy caused a definite decline in se - rum AMH concentration, and AMH expression was found in all the ovarian follicles except for primordial follicles in domestic cats.
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is one of the most important markers for assessing ovarian reserve and reproductive potential in women. The AMH level reflects the number of antral follicles and is widely used in clinical practice for the assessment of fertility and the diagnosis of disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study is to analyze the distribution of AMH values and their relationship with age in a group of women. This study includes a retrospective analysis of 64 female women, for whom data on date of birth and serum levels of AMH, expressed in ng/mL, were collected. The results of this study demonstrate a significant relationship between AMH levels and ovarian function. Elevated AMH levels are strongly associated with the possible presence of PCOS, whereas low AMH levels reflect diminished ovarian reserve, often related to advancing age. The findings of this study reinforce the importance of incorporating AMH into the clinical evaluation of women of reproductive age and highlight the need to combine this parameter with clinical and imaging data for a more accurate diagnosis.
Adropin is a new protein that regulates energy homeostasis. The serum and follicular fluid (FF) levels of adropin are decreased in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS); however, its role in ovarian function is unknown. The aims were to determine the expression of adropin and its receptor G protein-coupled receptor 19 (GPR19) in human granulosa cells (GC), its immunolocalization and its in vitro effects on GC function. Blood plasma, FF and GC samples were obtained from normal weight, obese and diagnosed with or without PCOS women (n=8). The in vitro effects of adropin on GC proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, steroidogenesis were analyzed. The results revealed that adropin plasma concentration was decreased in obese patients, with a similar reduction observed in obese patients with PCOS, while GPR19 expression was decreased in the GC of obese and PCOS women, as well as in obese PCOS patients. We noted that in all investigated patients groups adropin reduced GC proliferation and cell cycle progression, negatively influenced steroidogenesis enzyme levels and promoted apoptosis. Such disruptions in GC function are likely to impair ovarian follicular maturation and contribute to the subfertility commonly observed in PCOS. Such alterations may ultimately affect oocyte competence and ovarian responsiveness, parameters that are clinically relevant for in vitro fertilization outcomes. Our findings suggest that adropin may act as a novel regulator of ovarian function and could contribute to the pathophysiology of PCOS, highlighting its potential clinical value as a marker of altered ovarian follicular function in affected women.
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian reserve produced by granulosa cells of small growing follicles, has gained attention as a reliable biomarker for evaluating and predicting ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation in women of advanced maternal age (ΑΜΑ, defined as age greater than 35 years) undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). This retrospective study aimed to analyse the trend in AMH levels with advancing maternal age, investigate its relationship with oocyte quantity and quality, and explore associations between AMH, age, and the response to ovarian stimulation during ART. Data were collected from women who received I VF treatment at Nimaay a Women's Health Care Centre between 2023 and 2024, and the correlation between advanced maternal age and AMH levels was assessed using the correlation coefficient. Eighty women (n=80), aged 35–15, were included. AMH levels showed a negative correlation with age (R=0.53; p<0.05). AMH levels declined progressively with increasing age, showing a strong correlation with ART outcomes and providing a more accurate estimate of ovarian reserve.
To clarify the factors and mechanisms that influence changes in serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels after the fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian endometriomas. We examined women with ovarian endometrioma who underwent fertility-sparing surgery in our hospital retrospectively. We classified patients into preoperative serum AMH levels of 1.2–6.0 ng/mL (normal ovarian reserve [NOR] group, n = 40) and with AMH levels of <1.2 ng/mL (diminished ovarian reserve [DOR] group, n = 16). Laparoscopic fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian endometriomas performed by cystectomy and/or cyst wall ablation. Serum AMH level determination at the pre- and postoperative period up to 12 months. In the NOR group, AMH levels transiently decreased at 1–3 months after surgery and recovered to the preoperative levels at 6–9 months after surgery. In the women with bilateral lesions, the immediate postoperative decline was greater than that of women with unilateral lesions, and there was no trend toward recovery. In the DOR group, there was also a trend of immediate postoperative decline followed by gradual recovery, but there was no statistically significant difference in the trend of change. In women with unilateral lesion and belong to the NOR group, there were several women in whom the serum AMH level apparently increased from the preoperative level. Changes in serum AMH levels after fertility sparing surgery for ovarian endometriomas differ depending on the presence or absence of preoperative ovarian hypofunction and whether the patient is unilateral or bilateral. The transient elevation of AMH levels in unilateral women may indicate a compensatory change in the contralateral ovary in response to surgical invasion. The mechanisms that affect AMH levels after the surgery for endometriomas should be validated in future studies.
Asthenozoospermia is defined as diminished sperm motility and is frequently observed in infertile males. This study was designed to examine the potential roles of receptor activator of nuclear factor of kappa-beta ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the development of asthenozoospermia, a subtype of male infertility. This case-control study was conducted at the infertility center of Al-Batool Teaching Hospital in Diyala Governorate, Iraq, in collaboration with the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, between April 2024 and January 2025. The study enrolled 59 male subjects aged 20-55 years, who were categorized into two groups based on seminal fluid analysis: a normozoospermic group (n=29), which served as the control, and an asthenozoospermic group (n=30). Investigations included serum and seminal fluid measurements of parameters using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The results showed that RANKL levels in both seminal plasma and serum were significantly increased, whereas OPG levels in both fluids were significantly decreased in the asthenozoospermic group compared with the normozoospermic group (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). The reservoir operating characteristics analysis revealed that seminal fluid and serum OPG demonstrated excellent diagnostic capability in distinguishing asthenozoospermic infertile subjects. The study suggests that seminal and serum OPG levels, and, to a lesser extent, serum RANKL, could serve as a new biomarker for differentiating asthenozoospermic subjects and could be used as a confirmatory (or alternative) test to seminal fluid analysis in such patients.
The study aimed to identify and quantify changes in immunohematological parameters in cows at different stages of the production cycle depending on the functional state of their liver, to develop diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive measures. The study was conducted on 274 cows: fresh (n = 60), lactating (n = 60), early (n = 87) and late dry cows (n = 67). The functional state of the liver was classified retrospectively into normal (NMP), stressed (SMP) and pathological profiles (PMP) based on the threshold values of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin levels in the blood serum. The immunohematological profile was assessed based on the white blood cell count, phagocytic activity (PA) values and the phagocytic index. In SMP animals, PA was reduced to 44.0% (with NMP 49.0%), and the leukocyte count in the blood was reduced to 7.65×10 9 /L (with NMP 9.34×10 9 /L). In fresh cows with PMP, the absolute leukocyte count in the blood decreased to 7.53×10 9 /L, and PA was 48.0%. Suppression of adaptive immunity and activation of the inflammatory response were typical for lactating animals with SMP and PMP: the relative content of lymphocytes in their blood decreased to 44.0% and 45.5%, respectively, while segmented neutrophils increased to 41.5% and 41.0%. In cows with SMP, suppression of adaptive immunity persisted in the early dry period: the relative content of lymphocytes in the blood was reduced to 44.0%, and that of segmented neutrophils increased to 43.0%, with a decrease in PA to 45.0%. For PMP animals during this period, an increase in the relative content of monocytes in the blood to 4.50% was typical. In the late dry period, in cows with SMP, a decrease in the relative content of eosinophils (to 4.0%) and monocytes (3.0%) was observed in the blood; with PMP, a decrease in the phagocytic activity of neutrophils and monocytes (to 38.0%) with an increase in the proportion of segmented neutrophils (to 35.0%). Thus, the white blood cell count and PA parameters in cows with SMP and PMP at different stages of the production cycle have a specific profile that distinguishes them from healthy animals, which must be taken into account when developing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive measures.