Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the latest, and by far the most efficient, variant of micromanipulation-assisted fertilization, whereby a single spermatozoon is selected, aspirated into a microinjection needle and injected to the oocyte cytoplasm. The development of this technique is mainly linked to application in human assisted reproduction for which it enables fertilization with d...

background: it is important to protect oocytes and embryos from oxidative stress in the culture medium. melatonin has been shown to be a direct free radical scavenger. objective: effect of melatonin during in vitro oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development of mouse oocytes was evaluated. materials and methods: oocytes from supper-ovulated mouse were divided to two groups: cumulus ...

AIMS To investigate the effects of elevated nitric oxide (NO) levels in peritoneal fluids (PF) on oocyte fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development, and the relation of those effects to endometriosis-associated infertility. METHODS PF from women undergoing laparoscopy for infertility of minor endometriosis, tubal blockage and operation for tubal ligation was aspired at the pouch of...

The ICSI has become method of choice to achieve fertilization. Fertilization is possible in cases in which the sperm motility and ability to penetrate the zona pellucida are impaired. Injection is possible with sperm obtained from ejaculation, microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA), percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), or testicular sperm extraction (TESE). In addition, in...

Background: Assisted fertilization procedures are a currently widespread practice to regulate reproduction in humans and animals. The arising question is why the human being manipulating gametes to generate new individuals, if we do not understand yet the molecular mechanism of fertilization?. Successful completion of fertilization in mammals is dependent on three membrane fusion events: 1. the...

Quantum dots (QDs) are useful novel luminescent markers, but their embryonic toxicity is yet to be fully established, particularly in oocyte maturation and sperm fertilization. Earlier experiments by our group show that CdSe-core QDs have cytotoxic effects on mouse blastocysts and are associated with defects in subsequent development. Here, we further investigate the influence of CdSe-core QDs ...

is believed to occur during the early stages of gamete fusion, and thus before the sperm tail is incorporated into the oocyte. Thus, our figure represents a specific temporal stage of fertilization and not the entire sequence of events. It would, therefore, be inaccurate and misleading to have shown the sperm tail incorporated into the oocyte at this stage. While we are content with the fact th...

background:   case: we discuss 3 clinical cases of tubo-ovarian abscess in women with endometriosis after oocyte retrieval despite antibiotic prophylaxis between 2004 and 2011 at our center, and discuss our experience in the context of earlier reports.   conclusion: it is unclear whether antibiotic prophylaxis is necessary in these women, and which antibiotic is best. only douching with povidon...

Fertilization involves several precisely coordinated steps, including sperm dispersal of the oocyte cumulus mass, adhesion and binding to the zona pellucida, penetration through the zona pellucida, and fusion with the oocyte. Hyaluronidase, which is present in the sperm head, is known to be essential for the decomposition of the oocyte cumulus mass. Interestingly, two types of hyaluronidase—SPA...

Mammalian reproduction is one of the most complex and fascinating biological phenomenon, which aims to transfer maternal and paternal genetic material to the next generation. At the end of oogenesis and spermatogenesis, both haploid gametes contain a single set of chromosomes ready to form the zygote, the first cell of the newly developing individual. The mature oocyte and spermatozoa remain in...