Investigation of micro-rna122 expression levels in follicular fluid samples of female infertile patients

Human reproduction is a complex process involving folliculogenesis, oogenesis, embryo division/development, blastocyst formation, implantation, and live birth. Abnormalities or interruptions in any of these processes can lead to reproductive problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines infertility as the inability to achieve pregnancy within 12 months without a successful pregnancy. Infertility affects 8 to 12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide and is a significant global reproductive health issue. Although genetic and epigenetic factors are known to influence infertility, the pathobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, identifying new biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease is important. Recent studies have shown that miRNAs in follicular fluid may provide insight into reproductive potential and follicle health. The aim of this study is to compare the microRNA-122 expression profile in follicular fluid samples from the Turkish population according to Grade 1 (high quality) and Grade 2 (low quality) embryo scores, to determine the role of the regulatory RNA molecule in infertility, and to investigate its potential as a biomarker. In this study, follicular fluid samples from 100 women diagnosed with unexplained infertility in the Turkish population were examined. Participants were divided into two groups: low-quality embryo (patient group) and high-quality embryo (control group). Clinical and biochemical parameters, as well as miR-122 expression levels in follicular fluid, were compared between women with high- and low-quality embryos. In normal distribution analyses, it was determined that all variables except follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) did not follow a normal distribution, and appropriate statistical tests were applied accordingly. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of age, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and antral follicle count values (AFC) (p>0.05). In contrast, the number of oocytes (OC) (p=0.030), pronuclear (PN) number (p<0.001), and number of embryos (p=0.008) were significantly higher in the high-quality embryo group. These findings suggest that reproductive potential may be stronger in the high-quality embryo group. No significant difference was detected in miRNA-122 expression levels in follicular fluid between groups (p>0.05). This result indicates that miR-122 expression in follicular fluid is not directly related to embryo quality in the Turkish population studied. In conclusion, oocyte, PN, and embryo counts were found to be associated with embryo quality, but follicular fluid miR-122 expression did not provide evidence for its potential as a biomarker. Studies with larger samples and different ethnic groups are needed to validate these findings.