Comparison of Human Oocyte Activation Between Round-Headed Sperm Injection Followed by Calcium Ionophore Treatment and Normal Sperm Injection in a Patient With Globozoospermia

Abstract

Fertilization failure is common in patients with round-headed sperm, a form of globozoospermia. Artificial oocyte activation is able to assist oocyte fertilization after sperm injection in these patients. Comparisons between oocyte fertilization with or without calcium ionophore have been reported in patients with round-headed sperm. However, no comparison has been reported between round-headed sperm injection followed by calcium ionophone activation and normal sperm injection. In this case report, half of oocytes from a patient were injected with her partner's round-headed sperm followed by calcium ionophore activation, and the other half of oocytes were injected with a donor sperm without calcium ionophore activation. The injected oocytes were cultured to examine fertilization, embryo development, and embryonic aneuploidies in the resulting blastocysts. The fertilization rate was lower in round-headed sperm injected oocytes (3/6) than that in donor sperm injected oocytes (5/6), but rates of blastocyst and aneuploidies were similar in the resulting embryos between the two groups. A euploid blastocyst resulted from round-headed sperm injection was transferred, and a healthy baby was delivered. These results indicate that calcium ionophore treatment can assist oocyte activation in patients with round-headed sperm, but its efficiency to activate oocytes is lower than that induced by a normal sperm injection. However, embryo development and chromosome integrity may not be affected by calcium ionophore treatment.

Molecular Analysis of DPY19L2, PICK1 and SPATA16 in Italian Unrelated Globozoospermic Men

“…In relation to globozoospermia, a number of case reports and observational studies have presented successful childbirth in cases of both total and partial globozoospermia with various forms of AOA [ 64 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ]. However, a recent study compared fertilization and chromosomal integrity between round-headed sperm and donor sperm in oocytes from the same patient [ 78 ]. Although AOA was shown to be an effective tool for globozoospermic semen samples, the fertilization rate was lower than in donor sperm injections without AOA.…”

“…Although AOA was shown to be an effective tool for globozoospermic semen samples, the fertilization rate was lower than in donor sperm injections without AOA. On the other hand, the aneuploidy rate detected after ICSI with AOA in globozoospermic spermatozoa was comparable to ICSI with donor spermatozoa without AOA, suggesting chromosome integrity may not be affected by calcium ionophore treatment [ 78 ]. It should be emphasized that use of ICSI could allow the inheritance of mutations associated with globozoospermia, and in selected cases (for example, consanguineous marriages for recessive genes like DPY19L2 ) it might be important to seek genetic counselling to prevent this form of infertility in future progeny [ 79 ].…”

Advances in male infertility treatment through Assisted Reproductive Technology

“…The round-headed sperm are unable to fertilize eggs. Fertilization of eggs with ICSI and artificial oocyte activation with calcium ionophore or other substances have solved this problem and many births have been reported [32,33].…”

Effect of Chemical versus Mechanical Oocyte Activation on Morphokinetic Embryonic Development in Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia Patients

“…Any defect in both of them could prevent mature oocytes undergoing activation and inhibit complete fertilization which is associated with ICSI failure up to 40% [10,11]. Among factors that threaten the fertilization process, arti cial oocyte activation (AOA) after the ICSI process could suggest in oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and globozoospermia patients [12,13].…”