Published date: Nov 04 2021

Journal Title: International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine

Issue title: International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM): Volume 19, Issue No. 10

Pages: 889 - 898

DOI: 10.18502/ijrm.v19i10.9821

Razieh DoroudiDepartment of Anatomy, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Zohre ChangiziLeishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Seyed Noureddin Nematollahi-Mahaninnematollahi@kmu.ac.irDepartment of Anatomy, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

Background: Vitrification as the most efficient method of cryopreservation, enables successful storage of oocytes for couples who undergo specific procedures including surgery and chemotherapy. However, the efficacy of in vitro maturation (IVM) methods with vitrified germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes could be improved.

Objective: As melatonin and follicular fluid (FF) might enhance IVM conditions, we used these supplements to assess the maturation rate of vitrified GV oocytes and their artificial fertilization rate.

Materials and Methods: Four hundred mouse GV oocytes were harvested, vitrified, and assigned into control (C-Vit-GV) and treatment groups of melatonin (M-Vit-GV), human follicular fluid (HFF-Vit-GV), and a combination (M + HFF-Vit-GV). A non-vitrified group of GV oocytes (non-Vit-GV) and a group of in vivo matured metaphase II (Vivo-MII) oocytes served as control groups to evaluate the vitrification and IVM conditions, respectively. Maturation of GV oocytes to MII and further development to two-cell-stage embryos were determined in the different groups.

Results: Development to two-cell embryos was comparable between the Vivo-MII and non-Vit-GV groups. IVM and in vitro fertilization (IVF) results in the non-Vit-GV group were also comparable with the C-Vit-GV oocytes. In addition, the IVM and IVF outcomes were similar across the different treatment groups including the M-Vit-GV, HFF-Vit-GV, M + HFF-Vit-GV, and C-Vit-GV oocytes.

Conclusion: Employing an appropriate technique of vitrification followed by suitable IVM conditions can lead to reasonable IVF outcomes which may not benefit from extra supplementations. However, whether utilizing other supplementation formulas could improve the outcome requires further investigation.

Key words: Vitrification, Germinal vesicle, In vitro oocyte maturation, Melatonin, Follicular fluid.

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