The relationship of seminal transforming growth factor- beta 1 and interleukin-18 with reproductive success in women exposed to seminal plasma during IVF/ICSI treatment

• Published in: Journal of reproductive immunology Vol. 117; pp. 45 - 51
• Main Authors: Nikolaeva, Marina A, Babayan, Alina A, Stepanova, Elena O, Smolnikova, Veronika Y, Kalinina, Elena A, Fernandez, Nelson, Krechetova, Lubov V, Vanko, Ludmila V, Sukhikh, Gennady T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2016
• ISSN: 0165-0378
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2016.03.006

It has been proposed that the transforming growth factor (TGF)- beta 1 present in seminal plasma (SP) triggers a female immune response favorable for implantation. We hypothesize that seminal interleukin (IL)-18, a cytokine that can potentially cause implantation failure, interferes with the beneficial effect of TGF- beta 1. This study aims to determine whether the levels of seminal TGF- beta 1 and IL-18 are associated with reproductive outcomes in patients exposed to SP during in vitro fertilization (IVF) or IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A prospective study, which included 71 couples undergoing IVF/ICSI was carried out. Female patients were exposed to their partners' SP via timed intercourse before the day of ovum pick-up (OPU) and also subjected to intravaginal SP application just after OPU. Quantitative measurements of total TGF- beta 1 (active plus latent) as well as IL-18 were determined by FlowCytomix(TM) technology in the SP to be used for intravaginal applications. Comparison of SP cytokine profiles between pregnant and non-pregnant groups revealed that pregnancy was correlated with a lower concentration of IL-18 (P =0.018) and lower content per ejaculate for both of IL-18 (P =0.0003) and TGF- beta 1 (P =0.047). The ratio of TGF- beta 1-to-IL-18 concentration was significantly higher in the pregnant than in the non-pregnant group (P =0.026). This study supports the notion that two key cytokines TGF- beta 1 and IL-18, both present in SP are associated with reproductive outcomes in female patients exposed to SP during IVF/ICSI treatment.