Study of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNA profiles in granulosa cells to predict oocyte quality in endometriosis patients undergoing in vitro fertilization

Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic 15 (BMP15) are oocyte-secreted factors (OSF) that are proteins and are members of the transforming growth factor β superfamily with roles in folliculogenesis to produce mature oocytes. GDF9 and BMP15 are candidates in the search for selective markers to predict oocyte quality. Women with endometriosis undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) usually present with reduced quality of their oocytes. The aim of this study is to examine GDF9 and BMP15 expressions in granulosa cells to evaluate oocyte quality in these patients. We collected 20 granulosa cell samples from patients suffering from endometriosis (test group) along with 12 samples of granulosa cells from those without endometriosis (control group) and measured GDF9 and BMP15 expressions. Absolute quantification real-time PCR was used to quantify gene expression levels, using pre-manufactured oligonucleotides as standards. Our results showed no significance differences in GDF9 or BMP15 expressions between patients with endometriosis and those without it (both p > 0.05). Hence, the expression levels of gdf9 and bmp15 should not be considered when predicting oocyte quality. Further investigations regarding other factors affecting oocyte quality should be conducted to obtain more information.