Austėja Grudytė

Ms. Austėja Grudytė


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
GDGabija Didžiokaitė
Gabija Didžiokaitė
AGAustėja Grudytė
Austėja Grudytė
AKAida Kuznecovaitė
Aida Kuznecovaitė
MŽMargarita Žvirblė
Margarita Žvirblė
ŽSŽilvinas Survila
Žilvinas Survila
Violeta KvedarieneVioleta Kvedariene
Violeta Kvedariene
Unexplained infertility (UI) remains a diagnostic challenge affecting a significant proportion of women of reproductive age. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key mediator of angiogenesis and inflammation, has been implicated in reproductive and immune processes. This prospective observational study evaluated serum VEGF levels and allergen sensitization (via ALEX2 macroarray) in 70 women—51 with UI and 19 fertile controls—to assess VEGF’s potential as a biomarker in UI. Median VEGF concentrations were higher in women with UI compared to fertile controls (128.6 pg/mL vs. 82.5 pg/mL), though not statistically significantly. However, sensitized women showed significantly elevated VEGF levels compared to non-sensitized peers (115.9 pg/mL vs. 85.7 pg/mL, p = 0.028), and a stepwise increase in VEGF was observed with rising allergy severity (p = 0.045). Sensitization to pet allergens, particularly cat allergen Fel d 1, was associated with the highest VEGF levels. A literature review confirmed wide variability in VEGF concentrations and the lack of standardized norms. While VEGF alone may not serve as a definitive biomarker for infertility, elevated levels may reflect an underlying inflammatory state. Our findings suggest VEGF testing could support broader clinical evaluation in women with UI, especially in the presence of allergic sensitization.

21 August 2025 in Preprints.org
Verified
Preprint
Open access
PDF file
GDGabija Didžiokaitė
Gabija Didžiokaitė
AGAustėja Grudytė
Austėja Grudytė
AKAida Kuznecovaitė
Aida Kuznecovaitė
MŽMargarita Žvirblė
Margarita Žvirblė
ŽSŽilvinas Survila
Žilvinas Survila
Violeta KvedarieneVioleta Kvedariene
Violeta Kvedariene
Unexplained infertility (UI) remains a diagnostic challenge affecting a significant proportion of women of reproductive age. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key mediator of angiogenesis and inflammation, has been implicated in reproductive and immune processes. This prospective observational study evaluated serum VEGF levels and allergen sensitization (via ALEX² macroarray) in 70 women—51 with UI and 19 fertile controls—to assess VEGF’s potential as a biomarker in UI. Median VEGF concentrations were higher in women with UI compared to fertile controls (128.6 pg/mL vs 82.5 pg/mL), though not statistically significant. However, sensitized women showed significantly elevated VEGF levels compared to non-sensitized peers (115.9 pg/mL vs 85.7 pg/mL, p = 0.028), and a stepwise increase in VEGF was observed with rising allergy severity (p = 0.045). Sensitization to pet allergens, particularly cat allergen Fel d 1, was associated with the highest VEGF levels. Literature review confirmed wide variability in VEGF concentrations and the lack of standardized norms. While VEGF alone may not serve as a definitive biomarker for infertility, elevated levels may reflect an underlying inflammatory state. Our findings suggest VEGF testing could support broader clinical evaluation in women with UI, especially in the presence of allergic sensitization.