The Ratio of cf-mtDNA vs. cf-nDNA in the Follicular Fluid of Women Undergoing IVF Is Positively Correlated with Age

Abstract

Age-related mitochondrial markers may facilitate the prognosis of artificial reproductive technology outcomes. In this report, we present our study concerning the ratio of cf-mtDNA/cf-nDNA, namely the amount of cell-free mitochondrial DNA relative to cell-free nuclear DNA, in the follicular fluid (FF) of women undergoing IVF, aiming to generate a molecular fingerprint of oocyte quality. The values of this ratio were measured and compared among three groups of women (101 in total): (A) 31 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), (B) 34 women younger than 36 years, and (C) 36 women older than 35 years of age. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed to quantify the ratio by using nuclear- and mitochondrial-specific primers and analyzed for potential correlation with age and pregnancy rate. Our analysis showed that the level of FF-cf-mtDNA was lower in the group of advanced-age women than in the groups of PCOS and non-PCOS women. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between FF-cf-mtDNA and the number of mature (MII) oocytes was observed. Collectively, the data show that the relative ratio of cf- mtDNA to cf-nDNA content in human FF can be an effective predictor for assessing the corresponding oocyte’s age-related performance in IVF.