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Observational Study
. 2021 Dec;38(12):3125-3133.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-021-02338-3. Epub 2021 Oct 13.

Ionophore application for artificial oocyte activation and its potential effect on morphokinetics: a sibling oocyte study

Omar Shebl  1 , Philip Sebastian Trautner  1 , Sabine Enengl  1 , Elisabeth Reiter  1 , Christina Allerstorfer  1 , Tamara Rechberger  1 , Peter Oppelt  1 , Thomas Ebner  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Ionophore application for artificial oocyte activation and its potential effect on morphokinetics: a sibling oocyte study

Omar Shebl et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate whether ionophore application at the oocyte stage changes the morphokinetics of the associated embryos in cases of artificial oocyte activation.

Methods: In a prospective sibling oocyte approach, 78 ICSI patients with suspected fertilization problems had half of their MII-oocytes treated with a ready-to-use ionophore (calcimycin) immediately following ICSI (study group). Untreated ICSI eggs served as the control group. Primary analyses focused on morphokinetic behavior and the presence of irregular cleavages. The rates of fertilization, utilization, pregnancy, and live birth rate were also evaluated.

Results: Ionophore-treated oocytes showed a significantly earlier formation of pronuclei (t2PNa) and a better synchronized third cell cycle (s3) (P < .05). The rate of irregular cleavage was unaffected (P > .05). Ionophore treatment significantly improved the overall rates of fertilization (P < .01) and blastocyst utilization (P < .05).

Conclusion: Ionophore application does not negatively affect cleavage timing nor is it associated with irregular cleavage.

Keywords: Artificial oocyte activation; Calcimycin; Ionophore; Morphokinetics; Time-lapse imaging.

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Conflict of interest statement

T. E. reports honoraria from Cooper Surgical, Esco, Ferring, and Gynemed outside the submitted work. All other co-authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Box plot of timing of pronuclear appearance (h post t0) in study and control oocytes. Significant differences were observed (P < .05) in all oocytes (left side of the panel) and in only those which made it to blastocyst stage (right side). The box represents the interquartile range; the line inside the box represents the median. Outliers are shown using a plus symbol
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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