Browsing by Author "Brinca, Ana Teresa Loureiro"
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- Metabolomic analysis of infertility biomarkers in follicular fluid by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography- mass spectrometryPublication . Brinca, Ana Teresa Loureiro; Patrício, Ana Cristina Monteiro Ramalhinho Tavares; Passarinha, Luís António PaulinoInfertility has become a prominent public health issue, posing a significant challenge to modern reproductive medicine. Even though infertility relates to the couple rather than an individual, owing to social constructs, women are the predominant individuals seeking medical assistance. Some clinical conditions that lead to female infertility include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and premature ovarian failure (POF). Follicular fluid (FF) allows the study of clinical conditions related to women’s infertility. This biological matrix is the only one in direct contact with the oocyte and can, therefore, predict its quality. Volatilomics, a specific field of metabolomics, has emerged as a non-invasive, straightforward, affordable, and simple method of profiling various diseases as well as the effectiveness of their current therapies. In this study, 52 samples of FF were analysed to determine the volatomic pattern and find potential biomarkers of PCOS, endometriosis, and POF. The technique chosen for the sample preparation was solid-phase microextraction (SPME), followed by the analytes isolation and qualitative analysis techniques through chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS). 136 VOCs were detected, and 37 (27%) were present in at least two samples. The findings point to specific metabolite patterns as potential biomarkers for the diseases in the study. These open the door to further research into the relevant metabolomic pathways to enhance infertility knowledge and diagnostic tools.