Prospects for using a proteomic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of implantation of embryos transferred in an IVF cycle

This review presents non-invasive ways to evaluate the implantation potential of embryos that have entered the IVF cycle. A morphological approach to assessing the quality of embryos used in clinical practice is described. In addition, non-invasive approaches such as cell-free DNA analysis in culture medium, assessment of morphokinetic changes of individual embryos using artificial intelligence models, analysis of oxygen consumption by individual embryos, and the proteomic approach are considered in the literature as additions to the existing embryo quality assessment system. The focus of this article is on the identification of protein molecules in spent culture media of cleavage embryos as the most promising and poorly studied approach. The diagnostic significance of human chorionic gonadotropin and its isoforms, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, -8, -1β, human leukocyte antigens-G, stem cell factor, interferon-α, chemokines (CCL15, CCL27, CXCL12), platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 4, E-selectin, von Willebrand factor and other compounds as biomarkers of embryo implantation potential is described. The analysis of these proteins in the spent culture media of embryos can complement the morphological assessment of embryo quality when making decisions on choosing an embryo for transfer.