| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Articles |
a Institute of Reproductive Biology & Veterinary Obstetrics, and
b Institute of Genetics, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
c Department of Public Health & Cell Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
In vitro fertilization (IVF) has had poor success in the horse, a situation related to low rates of sperm penetration through the zona pellucida (ZP). Zona pellucida hardening (ZPH) is seen in mouse and rat oocytes cultured in serum-free medium. The hardened ZP is refractory to sperm penetration. Fetuin, a component of fetal calf serum, inhibits ZPH and allows normal fertilization rates in oocytes cultured in the absence of serum. We evaluated whether fetuin is present in horse serum and follicular fluid (FF) and whether fetuin could inhibit ZPH in equine oocytes matured in vitro, thus increasing sperm penetration during IVF. The presence of fetuin in equine serum and FF was confirmed by immunoblotting. Oocytes submitted to in vitro maturation (IVM) in medium containing fetuin were used for ZPH assay or IVF. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was carried out as a control procedure. The presence of fetuin during IVM did not affect the rate of maturation to metaphase II. Maturation of oocytes in the presence of fetuin reduced ZPH in a dose-dependent manner. After both IVF and ICSI, there was no significant difference in oocyte fertilization between fetuin-treated and untreated oocytes. The fertilization rate was significantly higher after ICSI than after IVF, both in fetuin-treated and in untreated oocytes. In conclusion, fetuin reduced ZPH in equine oocytes but did not improve sperm penetration during IVF. This implies that, in the horse, "spontaneous" ZPH is unlikely to be the major factor responsible for inhibiting sperm penetration in vitro.
2 Correspondence: Maria Elena Dell'Aquila, Institute of Reproductive Biology & Veterinary Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3° - 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. FAX: 39 80 4679083; e.dellaquila{at}veterinaria.uniba.it
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  H M Picton, S E Harris, W Muruvi, and E L Chambers The in vitro growth and maturation of follicles Reproduction, December 1, 2008; 136(6): 703 - 715. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Fazeli and E. Pewsey Maternal communication with gametes and embryos: a complex interactome Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic, March 1, 2008; 7(2): 111 - 118. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Q. Tong, B. C. Heng, N. Q. Chen, W. Y. Yip, and S. C. Ng Effects of elevated temperature in vivo on the maturational and developmental competence of porcine germinal vesicle stage oocytes J Anim Sci, November 1, 2004; 82(11): 3175 - 3180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Hinrichs, C.C. Love, S.P. Brinsko, Y.H. Choi, and D.D. Varner In Vitro Fertilization of In Vitro-Matured Equine Oocytes: Effect of Maturation Medium, Duration of Maturation, and Sperm Calcium Ionophore Treatment, and Comparison with Rates of Fertilization In Vivo after Oviductal Transfer Biol Reprod, July 1, 2002; 67(1): 256 - 262. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. E. Hoyer, O. B.F. Terkelsen, A. Grete Byskov, and H. Nielsen Fetuin and Fetuin Messenger RNA in Granulosa Cells of the Rat Ovary Biol Reprod, December 1, 2001; 65(6): 1655 - 1662. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
