Abstract

Noninvasive methods are the clue to increase the efficiency of in vitro-derived embryo selection without decreasing their competence. Embryos selection based on their morphology is the most used method but only 40% of selected embryos are able to implant and develop correctly. In humans, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis increases the efficiency of selection by excluding embryos with chromosomal abnormalities. However, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis needs embryonic cells, which might compromise embryo viability. On the other hand, embryos release extracellular vesicles (EVs: microvesicles and exosomes) to the culture medium that contain biological cargo-like proteins and mRNA lipids, and might contain genomic DNA (gDNA). For this study we evaluated the culture medium from embryos generated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection in a certified fertility clinic. Embryos were cultured in Global Total serum-free medium. The embryos were assessed at Day 3 of development and classified in three categories: top, fair, and poor quality. Corresponding medium was collected for isolation of EVs. The nature of EVs was confirmed by their size and concentration using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), presence of surface markers (CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD40L), and morphology using transmission electron microscopy. A correlation analysis between NTA results (EV size and concentration) and embryo quality was performed. To evaluate chromosomal abnormalities of gDNA present in isolated EVs from embryo culture medium, microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) assay was performed. In a second experiment, aCGH analysis was performed and compared between arrested embryos and EVs isolated from corresponding culture medium. Isolated nanoparticles from embryo culture medium were positive to all markers CD9 (30.9%), CD63 (27.2%), CD81 (31.7%), CD40L (8.7%) and had a morphology accordingly to exosomes. The analysis of NTA data indicated that top-quality embryos had EVs with higher diameter (mean: 112.17 nm, mode: 91.74 nm) than embryos classified as fair (mean: 108.02 nm, mode: 89.67 nm) and poor quality (mean: 102.78 nm, mode: 88.17 nm; P < 0.05). The aCGH analysis showed the representation of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in EVs from culture medium and the chromosomal abnormalities were detected in chromosome 4 (C4: 6/15 (40%)) and chromosome 13 (C13: 6/15 (40%)). In the second experiment, the aCGH assay also showed abnormalities in different chromosomes from samples of EVs from culture medium (24.9%) and were more frequent than those observed in the arrested embryos (8.7%; P = 0.03). However, the rate of similitude in chromosomal abnormalities between EVs and their respective embryo was 70-80%. In conclusion, the size and gDNA of EVs from culture medium might be an alternative to evaluate the competence of human embryos. This research was supported by FONDECYT-1170310 and Corfo 17Cote-72437, Chile.