In this study, the effects of the addition of L-carnitine in in vitro maturation (IVM) medium for bovine oocytes on their nuclear maturation and cryopreservation were investigated; they were matured in IVM medium supplemented with 0.0, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 mg/mL of L-carnitine (control, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.2 groups, respectively) and some of them were vitrified by Cryotop. Moreover, the effects of L-carnitine during in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro culture (IVC) on the developmental potential and quality of IVF embryos were also examined. A significantly higher maturation rate of oocytes was obtained for 0.3 and 0.6 mg/mL groups compared with the control (P < 0.05). The blastocyst formation rate in the 0.6 group was significantly improved, whereas the rate in the 1.2 group was significantly decreased when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in embryo development between the control and the L-carnitine group after oocyte vitrification. Supplementation of IVF and IVC media with L-carnitine had no effect on development to the blastocyst stage of IVM oocytes treated with 0.6 mg/mL L-carnitine. In conclusion, the supplementation of L-carnitine during IVM of bovine oocytes improved their nuclear maturation and subsequent embryo development after IVF, but when they were vitrified the improving effects were neutralized.
Solid surface vitrificaition (SSV) is a cryoperservative method that has been used in the cryopreservation of oocytes, and embryos. Here, we report an application of the SSV in the cryopreservation of human spermatozoa. We compared the SSV with a standard freezing method in terms of sperm motility, morphology, vitality and DNA integrity. Sperm motility was determined by computer assisted semen analysis, morphology and vitality were determined by eosin-methylene blue staining, and DNA integrity was determined by a TUNEL assay. We found that while both cryopreservative methods produced spermatozoa with comparable vitality and motility, the SSV gave slightly, but significantly fewer sperm with DNA damage, and loose tail. We concluded that, a cryopreservation of human spermatozoa by SSV is feasible and provides a quick and practical way to preserve human spermatozoa with a comparable, if not better, quality of the preserved spermatozoa to the standard freezing method.
To compare maternal serum inhibin A concentrations in early pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes and treatment protocols, serum samples were collected from 237 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer cycles. Samples were collected on day 16 after oocyte retrieval for beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) pregnancy testing and inhibin A measurement. The samples were divided into non-pregnant (n = 128) and pregnant (n = 109) groups, the pregnancies were followed and outcomes determined. Inhibin A concentrations were significantly lower in non-pregnant women than in women with ongoing pregnancies (P: < 0.001) and those resulting in spontaneous abortions (P: < 0.001). In ongoing pregnancies, inhibin A concentrations were significantly lower in the absence of functioning ovaries (donor oocyte/embryo) (P: < 0.01) and in natural cycles (frozen-thawed embryo transfer) (P: < 0.01) compared with concentrations after ovarian stimulation. Further, since inhibin A concentrations were not significantly different between singleton and multiple pregnancies in the ovarian stimulation protocol, the size of the early trophoblast does not appear to influence the secretion of inhibin A. These data strongly support the concept that the corpus luteum is a major source of circulating inhibin A in early pregnancy. Additionally, low concentrations of serum inhibin A may be useful in predicting betaHCG-positive preclinical 'biochemical' pregnancies.
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