The impact of Heparin Binding - Epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) on oocyte quality in women undergoing ICSI and its potential contribution to environmental diversity

Oocyte quality refers to the health and developmental potential of an egg cell (oocyte) in the context of reproductive processes. Oocyte quality is a critical factor in successful fertilization and subsequent embryo development. Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor is known by its acronym, HB-EGF. It belongs to the protein family known as epidermal growth factor (EGF). Cell-signalling protein HB-EGF is involved in proliferation, differentiation, growth, and tissue repair among other physiological activities. In Reproductive Biology: HB-EGF has been studied in the context of reproductive biology, particularly in processes related to fertility and embryonic development. For example, it has been investigated for its role in improving blastocyst development in assisted reproductive technologies. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between follicular fluid and serum HB-EGF with oocyte quality, 44 women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and unexplained infertility underwent IVF cycle in the form of intra-cytoplasm sperm injection ICSI enrolled in the study, follicular fluid and serum were collected from patients at oocyte retrieval day, HB-EGF levels measured by ELISA.  From 44 women, HB-EGF has no correlation with all oocyte characteristics p-value >0.05 except with damaged oocyte number, follicular fluid, and serum HB-EGF had significant positive correlation p-value= 0.428,0.357 respectively. An article found that follicular fluid and serum HB-EGF had a positive correlation with the fragile oocyte.