A systematic review identifying seminal plasma biomarkers and their predictive ability on IVF and ICSI outcomes

Jonna van den Berg, Nerea Molina, Signe Altmäe, Brigitte Arends, Gaby Steba*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

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Abstract

The diverse nature and high molecule concentration of seminal plasma (SP) makes this fluid a good potential source for a potential biomarker that could predict assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. Currently, semen quality parameters cannot accurately predict ART outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify human SP biomarkers with potential predictive ability for the outcomes of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Observational cohort and case-control studies describing the association between biomarkers in human SP and the outcome of infertile men attending for ART were included. Forty-three studies were selected, reporting on 89 potential SP biomarkers (grouped as oxidative stress, proteins glycoproteins, metabolites, immune system components, metals and trace elements and nucleic acids). The present review supports 32 molecules in SP as potentially relevant biomarkers for predicting ART outcomes; 23 molecules were reported once and nine molecules were reported in more than one study; IL-18 and TGF-β1–IL-18 ratio were confirmed in distinct studies. This review presents the most comprehensive overview of relevant SP biomarkers to predict ART outcomes to date, which is of clinical interest for infertility investigations and assisted reproduction; nevertheless, its potential is under-exploited. This review could serve as starting point for designing an all-encompassing study for biomarkers in SP and their predictive ability for ART outcomes, and for developing a non-invasive diagnostic tool.
Original languageEnglish
Article number103622
Number of pages21
JournalReproductive Biomedicine Online
Volume48
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Keywords

  • Assisted reproductive technology
  • Biomarker
  • ICSI
  • IVF
  • Seminal plasma

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