Production of steroids from human cumulus cells treated with different concentrations of gonadotropins during culture in vitro

Objective: To evaluate the output of E-2 and progesterone produced by cumul us cells, derived from mature and immature oocytes, in culture medium. Design: Prospective randomized study. Setting: McGill Reproductive Center, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill Univer sity, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Patient(s): Twenty-one women, <38 years of age and with normal menstrual cy cles, who were undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection for assisted rep roduction. Intervention(s): Culture medium with or without fetal bovine serum (FBS) su pplemented with either a physiologic (75 mIU/mL) or a supraphysiologic (7,5 00 mIU/mL) concentration of gonadotropins. Main Outcome Measure(s): Comparison of steroid levels in culture medium. Result(s): Estradiol secretion was significantly increased in the culture m edium with FBS supplemented with both concentrations of FSH alone compared with control. However, E-2 secretion was inhibited by both concentrations o f FSH with LH. The level of E-2 was undetectable in the medium without FBS even after supplementation with both concentrations of FSH alone, hCG alone , and FSH with LH. Progesterone production was increased in the medium with FBS supplemented with FSH alone, hCG alone, and FSH with LH compared with control. There was no difference in progesterone levels in the culture medi um without FBS supplemented with both concentrations of FSH alone and hCG a lone compared with control. However, progesterone secretion was increased i n the medium without FBS supplemented with a physiologic concentration of F SH with LH. Conclusion(s): Culture medium with FBS supplemented with a physiologic and a supraphysiologic concentration of FSH stimulates E-2 secretion from cumul us cells derived from mature and immature oocytes. This suggests that it ma y be not necessary to add E-2 to the culture medium for maturation in vitro of immature human oocytes retrieved from patients undergoing stimulated cy cles. (C) 1998 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.