Principal investigator: Enrique F. Schisterman, Ph.D.
Oxygen free radicals have been implicated in spontaneous abortions, infertility in men and women, reduced birth weight, aging, and chronic disease processes, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although the mechanisms that relate oxidative stress with female fertility are not completely understood, recent animal and human studies suggest that oxidative stress might have an important role in follicular growth, development of endometriosis, and regulation of angiogenesis in the endometrium. Micronutrient antioxidants, hormones, and enzymatic antioxidants are able to neutralize oxygen free radicals and inhibit oxidation and, thereby, potentially reduce the risk of infertility.

Numerous methods have been developed to measured lipid peroxidation products and lipid peroxidation damage in tissue, cell, and body fluids. Markers of lipid peroxidation can be measured directly or by measuring any substance involved in the reaction process. Because radical species are the actual agents to injured cells, their direct measurement would be preferable for clinical diagnosis. However, radical species disappear rapidly yielding stable primary and secondary lipid peroxidation products. Although, lipid peroxidation has been related to many health outcomes, there still is large disagreement between investigators on which method should be used to evaluate circulating levels of lipid peroxidation, making it difficult to synthesize research findings.

Circulating levels of estradiol and progesterone have also been shown to fluctuate during the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in ovulatory women. Estrogen is a powerful antioxidant that affects oxidative stress and homocysteine levels in women. However, little is known about the relation between oxidative stress, estrogen levels, and their influence on outcomes, such as likelihood of conception or spontaneous abortions. Prior to evaluating this relation, it is critical to have standardized measurements of oxidative stress, and to know how they vary with hormone levels. The primary goals of this study are to better understand the intricate relationship between hormone levels and oxidative stress during the menstrual cycle (i.e., estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, etc.). More specifically, the effort will study:

•  The intra-cycle variation of oxidative stress;
•  The relation between hormone levels and oxidative stress during the menstrual cycle in pre-menopausal women; and
•  Influence of external factors (such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise) on oxidative stress and hormone levels.

DESPR Collaborators

· Mary L. Hediger, Ph.D.
· Aiyi Liu, Ph.D
· Neil Perkins, Ph.D.
 

Selected Publications

Liu A, Schisterman EF, & Wu C. (2006). Multistage evaluation of measurement error in a reliability study. Biometrics, 62:1190-1196. [Abstract]