PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine whether the GDF-15 is present in follicular fluid; to evaluate if there is a relation between follicular and serum levels of GDF-15 and fertility status of study subjects; and to test whether granulosa cells, oocytes, or both produce GDF-15. METHODS: This study used follicular fluid (FF, serum, and oocytes obtained under informed consent from women undergoing oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization. It also used ovaries from deceased preterm newborns. Collection of FF and blood at the time of oocyte retrieval, ELISA and western blot were performed to determine levels and forms of GDF-15. Concentrations of GDF-15 in FF and serum, its expression in ovarian tissue, and secretion from granulosa cells were analyzed. RESULTS: GDF-15 concentration in FF ranged from 35 to 572 ng/ml, as determined by ELISA. Western blot analysis revealed the GDF-15 pro-dimer only in FF. Both normal healthy and cancerous granulosa cells secreted GDF-15 into culture media. Primary oocytes displayed cytoplasmic GDF-15 positivity in immunostained newborn ovaries, and its expression was also observed in fully grown human oocytes. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documentation of cytokine GDF-15 presence in follicular fluid. Its concentration was not associated with donor/patient fertility status. Our data also show that GDF-15 is expressed and inducible in both normal healthy and cancerous granulosa cells, as well as in oocytes.

Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Experimental Biology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Histology and Embryology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 3 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové Department of Histology and Embryology Charles University Prague Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Královopolská 135 612 65 Brno Czech Republic

International Clinical Research Center St Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic

Reprofit International Clinic of Reproductive Medicine Brno Czech Republic

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