The objective was to examine potential roles of glucose and pyruvate in nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes. Oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCC), derived from 3 to 6mm follicles, were cultured in a chemically defined medium (pyruvate-free mNCSU37-PVA), with or without 5.55 mM glucose, during in vitro maturation (IVM); in the absence of glucose, germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the maturation and fertilization rates of immature mouse oocytes using Embryonic Stem Cell Conditioned Medium (ESCM). METHODS Germinal Vesicle (GV) stage oocytes were observed in 120 NMRI mice, aged 4-6 weeks. GV oocytes with or without cumulus cells were subjected to IVM in either ESCM, Embryonic Stem Cell Growth Medium (ESGM), or α-minimum essentia...

BACKGROUND The present study highlights basic physiological differences associated with oocyte maturation and ageing. The study explores the fertilizing capacity and resistance to injury of mouse oocytes at different stages of maturation and ageing following IVF and ICSI. Also, the study examines the developmental competence of embryos obtained from these oocytes. The outcome of the study suppo...

BACKGROUND Chromatin configuration of the germinal vesicle (GV) and quality of the cytoplasm are critical factors in achieving oocyte meiotic and developmental capacity during folliculogenesis. Besides gaining new insights into the timing and cellular mechanisms associated with the acquisition and regulation of GV oocyte competence, the domestic cat model was used to examine (i) the relation be...

BACKGROUND The efficiency of in vitro maturation (IVM) techniques is suboptimal compared with controlled ovarian stimulation combined with IVF cycles, and studies are needed to identify factors that predispose IVM cycles to success or failure. We compared the outcome of IVM cycles with different dominant follicle (DF) size at oocyte retrieval following hCG priming. METHODS IVM was performed i...

BACKGROUND In general, 15% of oocytes collected in ART cycles are immature. These oocytes may be cryopreserved further for use in in-vitro maturation (IVM) program. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine maturation capacity, morphometric parameters and morphology of human immature oocytes in both fresh IVM (fIVM) and vitrified-IVM (vIVM) oocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS 93 women who...

The aim of the present study was to determine whether mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) modulates apoptotic and stress-related gene expression, and ameliorates maturation and developmental potential of immature human oocytes after artificial activation. A total of 247 surplus immature germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes obtained from infertile women were allocated into two in vitro ma...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to report a case series of in vitro matured (IVM) oocyte freezing in gynecologic cancer patients undergoing radical surgery under time constraints as an option for fertility preservation (FP). METHODS Case series report. University-based in vitro fertilization center. Six gynecologic cancer patients who were scheduled to undergo radical surgery the next day...

Polyspermy or the penetration of more than one sperm cell remains a problem during porcine in vitro fertilization (IVF). After in vitro culture of porcine zygotes, only a low percentage of blastocysts develop and their quality is inferior to that of in vivo derived blastocysts. It is unknown whether the cytoplasmic maturation of the oocyte is sufficiently sustained in current in vitro maturatio...

The developmental competence of in vitro-matured (IVM) rhesus macaque cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) is deficient compared with in vivo-matured (IVM) oocytes. To improve oocyte quality and subsequent embryo development following IVM, culture conditions must be optimized. A series of experiments was undertaken to determine the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) during IVM of rhesus macaque C...