The selection of a highly-viable single embryo in assisted reproductive technology requires an acceptable predictive method in order to reduce the multiple pregnancy rate and increase the success rate. In this study, the metabolomic profiling of growing and impaired embryos was assessed on the fifth day of fertilization using capillary electrophoresis in order to find a relationship between the profiling and embryo development, and then to provide a mechanistic insight into the appearance/depletion of the metabolites. This unique qualitative technique exhibited the appearance of most non-essential amino acids and lactate, and depleting the serine, alanyl-glutamine and pyruvate in such a manner that the embryos impaired in their development secreted a considerably higher level of lactate and consumed a significantly higher amount of alanyl-glutamine. The different significant ratios of metabolomic depletion/appearance between the embryos confirm their potential for the improvement of the prospective selection of the developed single embryos, and also suggest the fact that pyruvate and alanyl-glutamine are the most critical ATP suppliers on the fifth day of blastocyst development.

Centre of Polymer Systems Tomas Bata University in Zlin Třída Tomáše Bati 5678 76001 Zlin Czech Republic

Clinic of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology 76001 Zlin Czech Republic

Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Science Masaryk University 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Biology Faculty of Sciences University of Hradec Kralove 50003 Hradec Kralove Czech Republic

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Hospital Brno 62500 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Paediatrics and Inherited Metabolic Disorders 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University and General University Hospital Prague Ke Karlovu 2 12808 Prague Czech Republic

Footwear Research Centre University Institute Tomas Bata University in Zlin Nad Ovcirnou 3685 76001 Zlin Czech Republic

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