Abundance of cell‐free mitochondrial DNA in spent culture medium associated with morphokinetics and blastocyst collapse of expanded blastocysts

• Published in: Reproductive medicine and biology Vol. 19; no. 4; pp. 404 - 414
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Mitsuru, Kobayashi, Junichi, Shirasuna, Koumei, Iwata, Hisataka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.10.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: blastocyst collapse; Blastocysts; Cell culture; Cell cycle; cell‐free DNA; Culture media; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; embryo selection; Embryonic development; Embryos; Genetic research; Genetic testing; Genomes; Hormone replacement therapy; In vitro fertilization; Microscopy; mitochondria; Mitochondrial DNA; Morphology; Motility; Original; Ovaries; Pregnancy; Sperm; time‐lapse incubator; Ultrasonic imaging; time‐lapse incubator; blastocyst collapse; embryo selection; mitochondria; cell‐free DNA
• ISSN: 1445-5781; 1447-0578
• DOI: 10.1002/rmb2.12344

Purpose This retrospective observational study investigated relationships between the abundance of cell‐free mitochondrial DNA (cf‐mtDNA) in spent culture medium (SCM) of human‐expanded blastocysts and their morphokinetics to address the question of whether the abundance of cf‐mtDNA in SCM could predict the quality of blastocysts. Methods Embryos (n = 53) were individually cultured in a time‐lapse incubator until they reached the expanded blastocyst stage (5 or 6 days), following which copy numbers of cf‐mtDNA in SCM (20 μL) of expanded blastocysts were determined using real‐time PCR. Results The duration between start of blastulation to expanded blastocyst (tEB–tSB) and between that of the blastocyst stage to expanded blastocyst (tEB–tB) significantly and positively correlated with the abundance of cf‐mtDNA in the SCM (tEB–tSB: r = .46; P < .01; tEB–tB: r = .47; P < .01). The abundance of cf‐mtDNA in the SCM was significantly greater in blastocysts with blastocyst collapse (BC), than without BC, and significantly and positively correlated with the number of BC. Conclusions The abundance of cf‐mtDNA in the SCM was associated with expansion duration and BC. Thus, cf‐mtDNA abundance in the SCM serves as a marker to predict the quality of expanded blastocysts. The abundance of cell free‐mitochondrial DNA in the spent culture medium is associated with expansion duration and presence of blastocyst collapse.