Some of the major serum proteins that are also found in follicular fluid, including transferrin, alpha-macroglobulin and albumin, are thought to play a role in oocyte maturation. This study set out to identify proteins in human follicular fluid by capillary zone electrophoresis and to investigate their relationship to follicular/oocyte maturity and fertility outcome. 176 individual follicular f...

OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin B, and activin A in follicular fluid from patients receiving treatment with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), to identify a parameter to assess the maturation and developmental potential of oocytes. - MATERIALS AND METHODS AMH, inhi...

During the early follicular phase in the menstrual cycle, antral follicle sizes are often markedly heterogeneous. These follicular size discrepancies may, at least in part, result from the early exposure of FSH-sensitive follicles to gradient FSH concentrations during the preceding luteal phase. In addition, they potentially affect the results of ovarian stimulation. Indeed, pre-existing follic...

Our previous study reported microorganisms in human follicular fluid. The objective of this study was to test human follicular fluid for the presence of microorganisms and to correlate these findings with the in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. In this study, 263 paired follicular fluids and vaginal swabs were collected from women undergoing IVF cycles, with various causes for infertility, a...

The focus of this chapter is the mechanisms of apoptosis that occur during “normal” (physiologically-induced) or “abnormal” (chemicalor pathology-induced) attrition of ovarian oocytes. One of the primary functions of the ovary is development and maturation of oocytes, which occur within a follicular structure. During fetal development of the ovary, primordial germ cells (oogonia) are formed and...

The meeting between the maternal and paternal gametes is dependant upon a number of complicated processes. On the maternal side it involves maturation of the oocytes under the influence on both peripheral and follicular endocrine factors. Deviations in the normal pattern of maturation will lead to ovulation of inferior oocytes. On the paternal side the transport of spermatozoa in the female gen...

Although the 3 isoforms of Akt regulate cell growth, proliferation, and survival in a wide variety of cell types, their role in B-cell development is unknown. We assessed B-cell maturation in the bone marrow (BM) and periphery in chimeras established with fetal liver progenitors lacking Akt1 and/or Akt2. We found that the generation of marginal zone (MZ) and B1 B cells, 2 key sources of antibac...

Experimental immune ovarian failure induced in CBA mice by either administration of xenogenic anti-ovarian antibodies or immunization with allogenic ovarian extracts impaired the meiotic maturation of oocytes and increased apoptosis of follicular cells. Immunization was accompanied with the inflammation and active immune reaction, as shown by the enlargement of regional lymph nodes, the increas...

Follicular fluid obtained from medium or large bovine ovarian follicles inhibited ovarian luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin sensitive adenylate cyclase in a dose-dependent manner (150'3 mg follicular fluid protein/ml). The inhibitory activity was excluded by Sephadex G-10 and was fully retained following treatment with charcoal. Fluoride-stimulated enzyme activity was not inhibit...