Expression Levels of the Oxidative Stress Response Gene ALDH3A2 in Granulosa-Lutein Cells Are Related to Female Age and Infertility Diagnosis

Oxidative stress (OS) plays an important role in all physiological processes. The effect of OS on cellular processes is modulated by the ability of the cell to express genes implicated in the reversal of lipid, protein, and DNA injury. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 3, member A2 (ALDH3A2) is a ubiquitous enzyme involved in lipid detoxification. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of ALDH3A2 in human granulosa-lutein (GL) cells of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and its relationship with age, infertility diagnosis, and IVF outcome variables. Relative expression levels of ALDH3A2 were determined by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. To investigate the effect of age on ALDH3A2 expression, 72 women between 18 and 44 years of age with no ovarian factor (NOF) were analyzed. To evaluate the effect of infertility diagnosis on ALDH3A2 expression, the following groups were analyzed: 22 oocyte donors (ODs), 24 women >40 years old (yo) with tubal or male factor and no ovarian pathology, 18 poor responders (PRs), 19 cases with endometriosis (EM), and 18 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In NOF, ALDH3A2 expression correlated positively with age and with the doses of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone administered and negatively with the number of total and mature oocytes. When different groups were analyzed, ALDH3A2 expression levels were higher in patients >40 yo and in PR compared to OD. On the contrary, EM and PCOS levels were lower than expected for age. These data suggest that GL cell ALDH3A2 expression levels correlate with age, cause of infertility, and ovarian response to stimulation.