Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Effect of Artificial Oocyte Activation on Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection Outcomes in Patients with Lower Percentage of Sperm Containing Phospholipase Cζ: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Authors
Hamid Nazarian 1
Nahid Azad 2
Leila Nazari 3
Abbas Piryaei 4
Mohammad Hassan Heidari 1
Reza Masteri Farahani 1
Maryam Karimi 5
Marefat Ghaffari Novin 5
1 Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Reproductive Biology, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Preventative Gynecology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Urogenital Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background: Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is a specialized method in assisted reproductive technique (ART). According to increasing concern about using AOA, it is necessary to evaluate sperm-borne oocyte activating factors (SOAFs) including phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ). In this study, PLCζ before AOA was evaluated first and then the impact of AOA on pre-implantation embryo development was investigated. Methods: This prospective clinical trial enrolled couples subjected to ICSI. By evaluating PLCζ, semen samples were categorized into two groups; I (Control) and II (PLCζ deficient). Retrieved oocytes from partners were put into three categories: control group (Injected with sperm from group I, n=113), group without AOA (Injected with sperm from group II and no exposure to AOA, n=106), and group AOA (Injected with sperm from group II and exposure to AOA, n=114). Finally, fertilization results were compared via Kruskal-Wallis followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison test. The p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Fertilization rate was significantly lower in the group without AOA compared to control group (41.9±6.3 vs. 78.1±4.7, p<0.001). AOA improved fertilization rate in group AOA compared to the group without AOA (69.5±3.9 vs. 41.9±6.3, p<0.01); however, cleavage (91.7±2.8, 90.9±4.6, and 95.2±3.4, respectively) and embryo quality (2.5±0.1, 2.3±0.2, and 2.4±0.2, respectively) scores were not substantially different between groups of control, with and without AOA. Conclusion: We showed that PLCζ can be considered as a good biomarker in evaluation of oocyte activation capability. Further studies are required to establish the best use of PLCζ as a biomarker in clinics.
Keywords
Artificial oocyte activation
Biomarker
Intra
cytoplasmic sperm injection
Phospholipase C zeta
Sperm
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Journal of Reproduction & Infertility
Volume 20, Issue 1
Winter 2019
Pages 3-9