Study Of Relationship Between The Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome And VEGF, IL-6

Obstractive: The pathogenesis of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is not completely understood. Some of cytokines including vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and interleukins (IL) have been implicated as a major mediator in the pathogenesis of OHSS. It was studied in this paper by in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle that the relationship between VEGF, IL-6 and OHSS, and its forecast value for the OHSS. Material and Methods: 60 cases of women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were enrolled in this study. 14 patients developing severe OHSS were compared with 22 high risk patients and 24 controls. The inclusion criteria to define the high risk group were estradiol plasma levels greater than 2000pg/ml and/or the development of at least 20 follicles on the day the patients were administered human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). VEGF and IL-6 in serum collected before hCG administration, and in both serum and follicular fluid on the day of oocyte retrieval were measured by ELISA. Results: On the day of the oocyte retrieval the patients developing OHSS showed serum and follicular VEGF values higher than the other two groups(P<0.05); OHSS patients presented follicular fluid IL-6 levels higher than both the patients at risk(P<0.05) and controls (P<0.01); serum IL-6 concentrations of patients developing OHSS and of the ones at high risk for such syndrome did not differ with respect to each other instead the same values, respectively, were statistically higher than the ones present in controls (P<0.01). Conclusions: This study suggest that both of VEGF and IL-6 could be involved into the pathogenesis of the OHSS, Serum and follicular fluid VEGF and follicular fluid IL-6 levels, detected on the day of hCG administration, may be considered as markers of early OHSS, and IL-6 serum levels cannot be considered as markers of early OHSS.