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. 2024 Oct 14;22(1):462.
doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03654-y.

Altered metabolic profiles in male offspring conceived from intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Bingqian Zhang  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10 , Miaomiao Ban  1   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 , Xiaojing Chen  1   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 , Jingmei Hu  1   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 , Linlin Cui  11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18 , Zi-Jiang Chen  1   19   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   20   21
Affiliations

Altered metabolic profiles in male offspring conceived from intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Bingqian Zhang et al. BMC Med. .

Abstract

Background: While most research has focused on the association between intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, relatively little attention has been given to its metabolic effects. Previous studies have reported that low serum lipid levels are associated with mental health problems. Our objective was to analyze the impact of ICSI on metabolic alterations compared to their in vitro fertilization (IVF) counterparts in male offspring, as well as its interaction with paternal overweight/obesity.

Methods: We recruited families between January 2006 and December 2017 at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong University, China. Prospective data of offspring were obtained for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, and lipid profile in their 0-11 years old. Linear mixed models were utilized to compute the mean difference and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: A total of 14,196 offspring visits were identified. In offspring aged 4-11 years, ICSI-conceived offspring exhibited significantly lower fasting glucose z-scores, total cholesterol z-scores, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) z-scores compared with their IVF counterparts (fasting glucose z-score: adjusted mean difference: - 0.13, 95% CI: - 0.23 to - 0.03; total cholesterol z-score: adjusted mean difference: - 0.13, 95% CI: - 0.23 to - 0.02; LDL-C z-score: adjusted mean difference: - 0.12, 95% CI: - 0.22 to - 0.01). Paternal overweight/obesity significantly influenced the relationship between ICSI and metabolic changes in offspring. In offspring born from fathers with overweight/obesity, ICSI-conceived offspring displayed significantly lower fasting glucose and total cholesterol z-scores than their IVF controls (fasting glucose z-score: adjusted mean difference: - 0.20, 95% CI: - 0.32 to - 0.08; total cholesterol z-score: adjusted mean difference: - 0.15, 95% CI: - 0.27 to - 0.02). In offspring born to fathers with normal weight, ICSI-conceived offspring showed significantly lower systolic blood pressure z-scores compared to those conceived via the IVF procedures (adjusted mean difference: - 0.21, 95% CI: - 0.37 to - 0.05).

Conclusions: The findings of this study suggested that ICSI was associated with altered glucose and lipid profiles compared to their IVF controls, characterized by lower fasting glucose z-scores, total cholesterol z-scores, and LDL-C z-scores. Encouraging fathers to reduce their body weight could potentially improve the metabolic health of their ICSI-conceived children.

Keywords: In vitro fertilization; Intracytoplasmic sperm injection; Metabolic profiles; Paternal obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Associations between ICSI treatment and offspring metabolic alterations
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Associations of paternal overweight/obesity, ICSI treatment, and offspring metabolic alterations
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Associations of paternal overweight/obesity, ICSI, and metabolic alterations in male offspring aged 4–11 years
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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