One of the biggest prerequisites for pregnancy is the fertilization step, where a human haploid spermatozoon interacts and penetrates one haploid oocyte in order to produce the diploid zygote. Although fertilization is defined by the presence of two pronuclei and the extraction of the second polar body the process itself requires preparation of both gametes for fertilization to take place at a ...

Background: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the choice option for treatment of couples with severe male infertility. Recent studies indicate that the ICSI procedure or the technique itself cannot increase chromosomal abnormalities observed in born children. It maybe result of the Materialss used during ICSI procedure such as PVP and hyalorunidase. Activation of the oocytes might be c...

The present study was done to uncover the possible beneficial and/or detrimental effect(s) of nano-micelle curcumin (NMC) on oocyte in-vitro maturation and pre-implantation embryo development. Forty-eight mature female Wistar rats were assigned to control, 7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg-1 NMC-receiving (orally, for 48 days) groups. To assess the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), the ovaries were stimulat...

Patterning of the Drosophila egg requires the establishment of several distinct types of somatic follicle cells, as well as interactions between these follicle cells and the oocyte. The polar cells occupy the termini of the follicle and are specified by the activation of Notch. We have investigated their role in follicle patterning by creating clones of cells mutant for the Notch modulator frin...

a:4:{s:10:"Background";s:1707:"Early embryonic development in mammals begins in transcriptional silence with an oocyte-mediated transcriptional reprogramming of parental gametes occurs during a so called across-the-board process of “erase-and-rebuild”. In this process, the parental transcription programs are erased long before (maternal) or soon thereafter (paternal) fertilization to generate a...

Cellular ATP is mainly generated through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which is dependent on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We have previously demonstrated the importance of oocyte mtDNA for porcine and human fertilization. However, the role of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial replication factors during oocyte and embryo development is not yet understood. We have analyzed two key factors, m...

Combinations of progesterone, lutenizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and the dopamine-2 (DA2) receptor antagonist 1-[1-[4,4-bis(4-Fluorophenyl)butyl]-4-piperidinyl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one (Pimozide; Orap) were tested for improvement of spawning rates, oocyte numbers, fertilization and neurulation rates of the Fowler toad (Bufo fowl...

Determining oocyte quality is crucial for successful fertilization and embryonic development, there a serious correlation between live birth rates quality. Parameters such as the regular/irregular formation of cumulus cell layer around oocyte, number layers homogeneity appearance ooplasm are used to determine oocytes be in vitro (IVF) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) methods.
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The elaboration of a quality oocyte is integrally linked to the correct developmental progression of cumulus cell phenotype. In humans and nonhuman primates, oocyte quality is diminished with in vitro maturation. To determine the changes in gene expression in rhesus monkey cumulus cells (CC) that occur during the final day prior to oocyte maturation and how these changes differ between in vitro...