CSF-1/CSF1R system as predictor of live birth after induced pregnancy

Efficiency of the IVF procedure is assessed not only by the indexes of clinical pregnancy onset but also by the proportion of live births, since about a third of pregnancies end in termination, which certainly depends on many factors. Colony-stimulating factors may be considered potential predictive markers of the induced pregnancy development and resulting into live birth. To evaluate the predictive value of the CSF-1 system (serum CSF-1 concentration and carriage of CSF1R gene polymorphisms) in the setting of live birth after IVF-induced pregnancy in women with tubo-peritoneal infertility. 88 patients undergoing IVF aged between 25 and 40 years were assigned to the following groups: Group I (n = 32): patients whose post-IVF pregnancies resulted in live births at Week 24 or later; and Group II (n = 52) which included patients whose pregnancies did not occur or resulted in spontaneous miscarriages. ELISA testing determined the CSF-1 levels twice: on pre-IVF menstrual cycle (Days 3-4), and on post-embryo-transfer (Day 15). Genotyping of the CSF1R gene rs3216780 and rs38669350 polymorphic markers was performed by PCR with subsequent Sanger sequencing. CSF-1 levels rised to post-embryo-transfer Day 15 (3.9-fold in Group I and 1.8-fold in Group II); the appropriate values in pregnant women of Group II were reliably higher than in comparison group (p = 0.0017). Most women whose pregnancy resulted in live births carried the del/G rs3216780 and TG/CA rs386693509 genotypes of CSF1R gene. Univariate analysis identified the following predictors for completion of induced pregnancy by delivery: (1) CSF-1 levels in peripheral blood from 121.3 to 314.8 pg/mL at the preconceptional stage, and 963.3 to 1682.8 pg/mL on Day 15 after embryo transfer; (2) harboring the del/G rs3216780 genotypes and TG/CA rs386693509 gene CSF1R. In combination. These predictors were observed in 66.7% of women from group I and in 7.7% from group II. The CSF-1 system plays an important role in performance of female reproductive function and the revealed prognostic indicators, i.e., pre-conception and post-ET Day 15 serum CSF-1 concentrations, and carriage of the following CSF1R gene variants: del/G rs3216780 and TG/CA rs386693509 genotypes which can be used as predictors of the completion of induced pregnancy by childbirth.