Abstract: Objective To analyze the correlation between stem cell factor (SCF) and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in follicular fluid of patients with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), and the correlation between SCF and embryonic development. Methods A total of 144 infertile patients who underwent routine in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment in our center were selected. According to the diagnosis, they were divided into the POI group (n=44), the elderly group (≥ 40 years old, n=40) and the normal group (< 40 years old, n=60). The levels of SCF, SDF-1 and E2 in follicular fluid were detected by ELISA. The correlation between SCF, SDF-1 and E2 was analyzed in different groups. The POI group was divided into three subgroups according to the SCF concentration. The differences in normal fertilization rate, cleavage rate and excellent embryo rate were compared between POI subgroups. Results The SCF level of follicular fluid was significantly higher in the POI group and the elderly group than that in the normal group (P＜0.05). SDF-1 and E2 were significantly lower in the POI group than those in the normal group (P＜0.05). SCF was negatively correlated with SDF-1 (rs= -0.400，P＜0.05）and positively correlated with E2 (rs=0.341，P＜0.05) in follicular fluid of the POI group. In the POI subgroups, the excellent embryo rates of the ＜200 ng/L group and the 200-300 ng/L group were significantly lower than those of the > 300 ng/L group (P＜0.05). Conclusion SCF and SDF-1 may interact with each other to participate in the development of POI, and SCF may be an valuable biochemical marker to predict embryonic development.

Key words: stem cell factor, chemokine CXCL12, estradiol, primary ovarian insufficiency, fertilization in vitro, embryonic development