Evaluation of antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers in follicular fluid for human in vitro fertilization outcome.

Purpose: Antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers in human follicular fluid (FF) surrounding oocytes may be related to the outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Therefore, we herein examined the relationship between antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers in FF and the outcomes of IVF-ET.

Methods: One hundred and seventeen infertile women were included in this study.

Evaluation of transfer media containing different concentrations of hyaluronan for human in vitro fertilization.

Purpose: The aim of the present prospective study was to investigate the efficacy of hyaluronan (HA) using two different concentrations as embryo transfer media for in vitro fertilization embryo transfer cycles.

Methods: A total of 169 cycles undergoing fresh embryo transfer on day 2 or 3, 561 cycles undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer on day 2 or 3, and 484 cycles of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: transferred with low (l-HA) or high (h-HA) concentrations of HA in transfer media.

Oral melatonin supplementation improves oocyte and embryo quality in women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral melatonin supplementation on oocyte and embryo quality in patients in an assisted reproductive technologies program. All patients were treated for at least 2 weeks with melatonin (3 mg/day). To evaluate the cumulative effect of melatonin supplementation, we compared cycle outcomes between the first (no supplementation) and second cycles (melatonin supplementation) of patients who completed two treatment cycles.

Possible role of ZPAC, zygote-specific proteasome assembly chaperone, during spermatogenesis in the mouse.

In the mammalian testis, the ubiquitin-proteasome system plays important roles in the process that promotes the formation of mature sperm. We recently identified zygote-specific proteasome assembly chaperone (ZPAC), which is specifically expressed in the mouse gonads and zygote. ZPAC mediates a unique proteasome assembly pathway in the zygote, but the expression profile and function of ZPAC in the testis is not fully understood.

GSE is a maternal factor involved in active DNA demethylation in zygotes.

After fertilization, the sperm and oocyte genomes undergo extensive epigenetic reprogramming to form a totipotent zygote. The dynamic epigenetic changes during early embryo development primarily involve DNA methylation and demethylation. We have previously identified Gse (gonad-specific expression gene) to be expressed specifically in germ cells and early embryos.

Inhibition of the ubiquitin-proteasome system leads to delay of the onset of ZGA gene expression.

In mammalian oocytes, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is suggested to play important roles in oocyte meiosis resumption, spindle assembly, polar body emission and pronuclear formation by regulating cyclin B1 degradation. However, little is known about the direct relationship between zygotic gene activation (ZGA) and degradation of maternal proteins. Here, we investigated the role of the UPS in the onset of ZGA in early mouse embryos.

Medium without ammonium accumulation supports the developmental competence of human embryos.

L-Glutamine has been shown to play an important role during in vitro culture of mammalian embryos. However, it is easily decomposed into ammonium, which is believed to have deleterious effects on preimplantation embryos. In this study, we assessed prospectively the developmental competence of human embryos cultured in medium containing L-glutamine or a novel stable glutamine derivative and vitamins.