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. 2023 Jan 4:13:979248.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.979248. eCollection 2022.

Effect of calcium ionophore (A23187) on embryo development and its safety in PGT cycles

Junya Zhang  1   2 , Guidong Yao  1   2 , Tongwei Zhang  1   2 , Jingyi Hu  1   2 , Guang Yang  1   2 , Jiahuan He  1   2 , Qina He  1   2 , Huiying Fan  1   2 , Yucheng Bai  1   2 , Yingpu Sun  1   2
Affiliations

Effect of calcium ionophore (A23187) on embryo development and its safety in PGT cycles

Junya Zhang et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has tremendous advantages for resolving the problem of male infertility. However, ICSI fertilization can fail in some patients because of various reasons, primarily because of the failure of oocyte activation. Oocytes have been activated using calcium ionophore (A23187) in previous clinical cases of ICSI fertilization failure. However, studies on the efficiency of calcium ionophore (A23187) activation, its effects on the developmental potential of embryos, and its effects on pregnancy outcomes after embryo transfer are relatively limited.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the safety and long-term efficacy of calcium ionophore (A23187) by analyzing its effects on fertilization, embryonic development, aneuploidy, and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles.

Results: Comparative analyses of the activation followed by PGT (A-PGT) and PGT groups revealed no significant differences between the oocyte cleavage rate and high-quality embryo rate (98.19% vs. 98.63% and 63.13% vs. 68.39%, respectively, p > 0.05). Although the blastocyst formation rate was significantly lower in the A-PGT group than that in the PGT group (52.22% vs. 59.90%, p < 0.05), no significant difference was observed in the blastocyst aneuploidy rates of the two groups (24.49% vs. 24.55%, p > 0.05). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the live birth rate (43.75% vs. 52.99%), week of delivery, and birth weight of the infants after transfer of euploid blastocysts (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the 2PN rate, oocyte cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate, and live birth rate were found to be significantly lower in the A-ICSI group than those in the ICSI group (p < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in the week of delivery and birth weight of live births (p > 0.05).

Discussion: These results suggest that the use of calcium ionophore (A23187) activation as an option in cases of ICSI fertilization failure does not affect the ploidy of developing blastocysts and has no significant effects on the week of delivery or birth weight after transfer. Thus, we provide a scientific basis for the clinical safety of oocyte activation using calcium ionophore (A23187).

Keywords: calcium ionophore (A23187); chromosome aneuploidy; embryo development potential; fertilization failure; pregnancy outcome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparative analysis of the chromosomal status of blastocysts in patients between the PGT and A-PGT group. Bars in the graph indicate percentages. Normal karyotype: 46, XX or 46, XY. Gain, increased copy number of the entire chromosome. Loss, at least one entire chromosome is missing. Dup, duplication of a chromosomal fragment. Del, loss of a chromosomal fragment. Upd, uniparental diploidy. Mos, mosaicism. MA, Multiple chromosomal abnormalities containing both duplication or deletion of chromosomal segments and mosaicism. NS indicates no statistically significant difference between the two groups.
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