Follicular Fluid Lipid Peroxidation and Glutathione-Related Redox Biomarkers in Women with Diminished Ovarian Reserve Undergoing IVF

To evaluate lipid peroxidation and glutathione-related redox biomarkers in the follicular fluid of women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and compare their levels with those in women with normal ovarian reserve (NOR), this prospective study included 76 women undergoing in vitro fertilization, comprising 42 with DOR and 34 with NOR. Follicular fluid levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), total glutathione (T-GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were measured. Between-group differences were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test, and linear regression models adjusted for age and body mass index were used to evaluate associations with ovarian reserve status. Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. Women with DOR had lower anti-Müllerian hormone levels, antral follicle counts, and numbers of retrieved oocytes, metaphase II oocytes, and Day-3 and Day-5 embryos than women with NOR. MDA levels were lower in the DOR group (3.68 [2.05–4.36] vs. 4.22 [3.55–6.07]; p=0.019), but the difference was not significant after Bonferroni correction (adjusted p=0.076). No significant between-group differences were observed for 4-HNE, T-GSH, or GSSG. In age- and body mass index-adjusted models, DOR was associated with lower MDA (p=0.018) and GSSG (p=0.034) levels, but these associations did not remain significant after Bonferroni correction. Overall, DOR was not associated with robust alterations in the follicular fluid lipid peroxidation and glutathione-related redox biomarkers evaluated in this study.