International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Dr. Manuel Fernández-Sánchez

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Guest Editor

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: infertility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce this Special Issue, highlighting recent advancements in molecular research on infertility and reproduction-related diseases. This issue aims to explore various key research areas including the identification of molecular biomarkers for investigating reasons for infertility and assessing gamete quality and reproductive potential through non-invasive methods.

Contributions are sought on biomarkers in diverse sources such as sperm cells, sperm plasma, follicular fluid, granulosa cells and embryo culture media. These biomarkers hold promise as predictive tools for the success of assisted reproduction techniques.

Additionally, several blood-based biomarkers have shown potential as predictors of pregnancy outcomes, and their validation may revolutionize prenatal care, enabling early intervention and personalized treatments. Furthermore, the investigation of immunologic biomarkers represents a fascinating avenue for exploring new frontiers in reproductive health research.

We therefore invite academic and industrial investigators to submit original research articles and reviews discussing recent advancements in these areas.

Dr. Manuel Fernández-Sánchez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

infertility
assisted reproduction techniques (ART)
in vitro fertilization (IVF)
pregnancy outcomes
molecular biomarkers
oocyte
granulosa cells
follicular fluid
embryo selection
spermatozoa
non-invasive

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of Interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) in Single Human Blastocyst-Conditioned Medium Using Ultrasensitive Bead-Based Digital Microfluidic Chip and Its Relationship with Embryonic Implantation Potential

by Tian-Chi Tsai, Yi-Wen Wang, Meng-Shiue Lee, Wan-Ning Wu, Wensyang Hsu, Da-Jeng Yao and Hong-Yuan Huang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 4006; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25074006 - 03 Apr 2024

Viewed by 550

Abstract

The implantation of human embryos is a complex process involving various cytokines and receptors expressed by both endometrium and embryos. However, the role of cytokines produced by a single embryo in successful implantation is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-1β expressed in a single-embryo-conditioned medium (ECM) in embryo implantation. Seventy samples of single ECM were analyzed by a specially designed magnetic-beads-based microfluidic chip from 15 women. We discovered that IL-1β level increased as the embryo developed, and the difference was significant. In addition, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves analysis showed a higher chance of pregnancy when the IL-1β level on day 5 ECM was below 79.37 pg/mL and the difference between day 5 and day 3 was below 24.90 pg/mL. Our study discovered a possible association between embryonic proteomic expression and successful implantation, which might facilitate single-embryo transfer in the future by helping clinicians identify the embryo with the greatest implantation potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Molecular Research on Infertility)

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21 pages, 7317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recurrent Implantation Failure: Bioinformatic Discovery of Biomarkers and Identification of Metabolic Subtypes

by Yuan Fan, Cheng Shi, Nannan Huang, Fang Fang, Li Tian and Jianliu Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13488; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713488 - 30 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1267

Abstract

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is a challenging scenario from different standpoints. This study aimed to investigate its correlation with the endometrial metabolic characteristics. Transcriptomics data of 70 RIF and 99 normal endometrium tissues were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Common differentially expressed metabolism-related genes were extracted and various enrichment analyses were applied. Then, RIF was classified using a consensus clustering approach. Three machine learning methods were employed for screening key genes, and they were validated through the RT-qPCR experiment in the endometrium of 10 RIF and 10 healthy individuals. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were generated and validated by 20 RIF and 20 healthy individuals from Peking University People’s Hospital. We uncovered 109 RIF-related metabolic genes and proposed a novel two-subtype RIF classification according to their metabolic features. Eight characteristic genes (SRD5A1, POLR3E, PPA2, PAPSS1, PRUNE, CA12, PDE6D, and RBKS) were identified, and the area under curve (AUC) was 0.902 and the external validated AUC was 0.867. Higher immune cell infiltration levels were found in RIF patients and a metabolism-related regulatory network was constructed. Our work has explored the metabolic and immune characteristics of RIF, which paves a new road to future investigation of the related pathogenic mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Molecular Research on Infertility)

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