The production and clinical evaluation of macrophage colony-stimulating factor and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 in human follicular fluids

PROBLEM: In order to investigate the role of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in human ov ulation, we measured the concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 in human follicu lar fluids (FFs) and correlated them with oocyte maturation. METHOD OF STUDY: The oocytes were obtained from the FFs of 46 women undergo ing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). The concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 in the FFs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, granulosa cells obtained from the FFs of IVF patients were cultured and treated with forskolin and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-a cetate (TPA) for 24-48 hr. RESULTS: Concentrations of M-CSF and MCP-1 were significantly higher in the FFs than in the serum (P < 0.01). M-CSF concentrations tended to be higher , while MCP-1 concentrations were significantly higher in the FFs containin g mature oocytes than in FFs containing immature oocytes (P < 0.05). The pr oduction of M-CSF was markedly increased over the basal level after treatme nt with forskolin (10 muM) for 24 (P < 0.02) and 48 hr (P < 0.01); however, the production of MCP-1 was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that M-CSF and MCP-1 may play an important ro le in human preovulatory processes and that M-CSF, in particular, may be re gulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate. M-CSF and MCP-1 may also be valu able biochemical markers in the evaluation of oocyte maturation.