Spontaneous in vitro maturation and artificial activation of human germinal vesicle oocytes recovered from stimulated cycles

• Published in: Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics 2011-02, Vol.28 (2), p.111-117
• Main Authors: Escrich, Laura, Grau, Noelia, Mercader, Amparo, Rubio, Carmen, Pellicer, Antonio, Escribá, María-José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Assisted Reproduction Technologies; Calcimycin - pharmacology; Cell Nucleus - drug effects; Chromatin - genetics; Cytoplasm - drug effects; Female; Gynecology; Human Genetics; Humans; Ionophores - pharmacology; Karyotyping; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meiosis - drug effects; Metaphase - drug effects; Oocytes - cytology; Oocytes - drug effects; Oocytes - growth & development; Pregnancy; Puromycin - pharmacology; Reproductive Medicine; Sperm
• ISSN: 1058-0468; 1573-7330
• DOI: 10.1007/s10815-010-9493-5

Purpose To define germinal vesicles (GV) by morphometric and morphologic examination and by chromatin compaction and to assess their spontaneous nuclear and cytoplasmic competence. Materials 131 GV were cultured for 42.7 ± 2.4 h. Nuclear maturation was evaluated at four time points. Sixty-seven in vitro and twenty-five in vivo metaphase II (MII) were activated. Parthenotes with 2 PB and one pronucleus (NA) were studied for ploidy. Results A total of 74.8% GV matured to MII: 55% at 21.4 ± 2.4 h and 47.3% in the following 24 h. Artificial activation induced NA in 79.2% of in vivo-MII and in 22.4% of in vitro-MII. All NA were haploid. Conclusions GV spontaneously mature at the nuclear level. Their NA are haploid, but their cytoplasmic competence is compromised. Variables were not found to be predictors of oocyte competence, probably due to our population being homogeneous with respect to most of the variables studied.