Granulosa cell metabolism at ovulation correlates with oocyte competence and is disrupted by obesity and aging.

Study question: Is oocyte developmental competence associated with changes in granulosa cell (GC) metabolism?

Summary answer: GC metabolism is regulated by the LH surge, altered by obesity and reproductive aging, and, in women, specific metabolic profiles are associated with failed fertilization versus increased blastocyst development.

What is known already: The cellular environment in which an oocyte matures is critical to its future developmental competence. Metabolism is emerging as a potentially important factor; however, relative energy production profiles between GCs and cumulus cells and their use of differential substrates under normal in vivo ovulatory conditions are not well understood.

Study design, size, duration: This study identified metabolic and substrate utilization profiles within ovarian cells in response to the LH surge, using mouse models and GCs of women undergoing gonadotropin-induced oocyte aspiration followed by IVF/ICSI.

Participants/materials, setting, methods: To comprehensively assess follicular energy metabolism, we used real-time metabolic analysis (Seahorse XFe96) to map energy metabolism dynamics (mitochondrial respiration, glycolysis, and fatty acid oxidation) in mouse GCs and cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) across a detailed time course in the lead up to ovulation. In parallel, the metabolic profile of GCs was measured in a cohort of 85 women undergoing IVF/ICSI (n = 21 with normal ovarian function; n = 64 with ovarian infertility) and correlated with clinical parameters and cycle outcomes.

Main results and the role of chance: Our study reveals dynamic changes in GC energy metabolism in response to ovulatory LH, with mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis differentially affected by obesity versus aging, in both mice and women. High respiration in GCs is associated with failed fertilization (P < 0.05) in a subset of women, while glycolytic reserve and mitochondrial ATP production are correlated with on-time development at Day 3 (P < 0.05) and blastocyst formation (P < 0.01) respectively. These data provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms of infertility, by uncovering significant associations between metabolism within the ovarian follicle and oocyte developmental competence.

Limitations, reasons for caution: A larger prospective study is needed before the metabolic markers that were positively and negatively associated with oocyte quality can be used clinically to predict embryo outcomes.

Wider implications of the findings: This study offers new insights into the importance of GC metabolism for subsequent embryonic development and highlights the potential for therapeutic strategies focused on optimizing mitochondrial metabolism to support embryonic development.

Study funding/competing interest(s): National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia). The authors have no competing interests.

Trial registration number: N/A.