Background: Parthenogenetic activation of mammalian oocytes using artificial stimuli is commonly used in various reproductive bio-techniques. Calcium ionophore is known to elevate intracellular calcium levels in the cytoplasm of oocytes through the influx of calcium from extracellular spaces. Ethanol promotes a single intracellular Ca2+ increase of greater and longer amplitude than the initial ...

Effective protocols are introduced for parthenogenesis activation in oocytes. Hydrostatic pressure can act as a mechanical stimulator that rearranges egg contents, leading to new structural or molecular combination. Alternatively, mechanical stimulation could stimulate a mechanically-gated process, such as opening or closing of stretch activated ion channels. This study, investigated the use of...

Background: The advances in cytogenetic techniques during the last few years have permitted not only the study of large populations of wild and domestic animals, but also the detection of chromosome anomalies in embryos. Chromosomal abnormalities are the most common cause of embryonic and fetal mortality in mammals. Most reports of chromosome anomalies in parthenogenetic embryos describe numeri...

A truncated form of the c-kit tyrosine kinase receptor, corresponding to the phosphotransferase portion of the cytoplasmic catalytic domain and the carboxyterminus (tr-kit), is accumulated during late mouse spermiogenesis. Here we report that tr-kit is specifically localized in the residual sperm cytoplasm, with maximal accumulation in the midpiece of the flagellum, suggesting that it can enter...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors acting as trophic suppliers, but little is known regarding the effects of conditioned medium (CM) of MSCs isolated from femurs and tibias of mouse on the artificial activation of mouse oocytes and on the developmental competence of the parthenotes. In the current study, we investigated the effe...

BACKGROUND Thioglycolic acid (TGA) is widely used in the hairdressing industry, which mostly caters to women. Recently, TGA has been reported to impair several organs, especially reproductive ones such as testes and ovaries. The reproductive toxicity of TGA on females has become an issue that cannot be neglected. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the present work, superovulated female mice we...