sq-23377 and Infertility

Does artificial oocyte activation improve clinical outcomes for patients at risk of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) fertilization failure?. In this study, sibling oocytes from patients with previous ICSI failure or severe teratozoospermia were divided equally into two groups, half for artificial oocyte activation (AOA) with ionomycin after conventional ICSI and the other half for conventional ICSI only (non-AOA). The fertilization rates, cleavage rates, transferable embryo rates and blastulation rates of the two groups were compared first; the clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were also compared to assess the efficiency and safety of AOA.. The outcomes of the AOA group were significantly better than those of the conventional ICSI group in terms of the fertilization (50.38% versus 33.86%, respectively, P < 0.001), cleavage (59.16% versus 39.04%, respectively, P < 0.001) and transferable embryo rates (43.51% versus 26.69%, respectively, P < 0.001). The blastulation (43.53% versus 36.11%, respectively), implantation (26.83% versus 15.79%, respectively), clinical pregnancy (38.46% versus 25%, respectively) and live birth rates (38.46% versus 16.67%, respectively) were not significantly different.. This study showed that AOA improved some aspects of cycles at risk of ICSI failure by increasing the fertilization and transferable embryo rates. But blastulation, pregnancy and implantation rates were not improved. The study is limited by its small size and absence of data on cumulative outcomes.

Topics: Adult; Blastula; Embryo Implantation; Embryo Transfer; Female; Fertilization; Humans; Infertility; Ionomycin; Male; Oocytes; Ovarian Follicle; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnancy Rate; Research Design; Siblings; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; Teratozoospermia; Treatment Outcome

To assess the effect of two assisted oocyte activation (AOA) protocols with the use of two calcium (Ca(2+)) ionophores, ionomycin and A23187 (calcimycin), on the intracellular Ca(2+) level in mouse and human oocytes and the fertilization rates.. Comparison of two Ca(2+) ionophores, ionomycin and A23187, regarding their capacity to increase the intracellular Ca(2+) level and to support subsequent oocyte activation and development.. University hospital research laboratory.. Patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment and B6D2F1 mice.. Assisted oocyte activation and microinjection of mouse and human oocytes with sperm.. Measurement of the fertilizing and Ca(2+)-releasing ability of human sperm.. Ionomycin was more potent than A23187 in provoking Ca(2+) increases in both mouse and human oocytes with significantly higher amplitude and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. The oocyte activation rate was significantly higher when mouse oocytes were activated with the use of the ionomycin- rather than the A23187-based AOA protocol. Furthermore, oocyte activation rate was higher when human in vitro matured oocytes were activated with the ionomycin-based AOA protocol, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.. In both mouse and human oocytes, the AOA protocol that used ionomycin was more efficient than the one that used A23187. Bearing in mind that mammalian fertilization is successful when the total dose of Ca(2+) released reaches a minimal threshold, the use of ionomycin for human AOA might be justified instead of the use of A23187.

Topics: Adult; Animals; Calcimycin; Calcium Ionophores; Calcium Signaling; Cells, Cultured; Embryo Culture Techniques; Female; Fertility; Fertility Agents, Female; Fertilization; Humans; In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques; Infertility; Ionomycin; Male; Mice; Oocytes; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; Time Factors; Treatment Failure