Metabolomic Prediction of Pregnancy Viability in Superovulated Cattle Embryos and Recipients with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

• Main Authors: Marta Muñoz, Asli Uyar, Eva Correia, Claire Ponsart, Catherine Guyader-Joly, Daniel Martínez-Bello, Brigitte Marquant-Le Guienne, Alfonso Fernandez-Gonzalez, Carmen Díez, Jose Nestor Caamaño, Beatriz Trigal, Patrice Humblot, Susana Carrocera, David Martin, Emre Seli, Enrique Gomez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2014-01-01
• Series: BioMed Research International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/608579

We analyzed embryo culture medium (CM) and recipient blood plasma using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) metabolomics to identify spectral models predictive of pregnancy outcome. Embryos collected on Day 6 from superovulated cows in 2 countries were individually cultured in synthetic oviduct fluid medium with BSA for 24 h before embryo transfer. Spent CM, blank controls, and plasma samples (Day 0 and Day 7) were evaluated using FTIR. The spectra obtained were analyzed. The discrimination capability of the classifiers was assessed for accuracy, sensitivity (pregnancy), specificity (nonpregnancy), and area under the ROC curve (AUC). Endpoints considered were Day 60 pregnancy and birth. High AUC was obtained for Day 60 pregnancy in CM within individual laboratories (France AUC=0.751±0.039, Spain AUC=0.718±0.024), while cumulative data decreased the AUC (AUC=0.604 ± 0.029). Predictions for CM at birth were lower than Day 60 pregnancy. Predictions with plasma at birth improved cumulative over individual results (Day 0: France AUC=0.690±0.044; Spain AUC<0.55; cumulative AUC=0.747±0.032). Plasma generally predicted pregnancy and birth better than CM. These first results show that FTIR metabolomics could allow the identification of embryos and recipients with improved pregnancy viability, which may contribute to increasing the efficiency of selection schemes based on ET.