Effects of activation with a Ca ionophore and roscovitine on the development of human oocytes that failed to fertilize after ICSI

Objective : The effects of oocyte activation with a Ca ionophore and roscovitine (Ca+R), a selective inhibitor of M-phase promoting factor, on unfertilized oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or testicular sperm extraction (TESE)-ICSI were evaluated. Method : Oocytes without pronuclei at 18 hours after ICSI were judged to be unfertilized and were exposed to the Ca ionophore A23187 (5 mu M) with or without roscovitine (50 mu M). The activation rate was measured 3, 7, and 18 hours later. Oocytes with two polar bodies and two pronuclei with a sperm tail were judged to have been activated. Results : At 18 hours, the activation rates in the control, Ca ionophore, and Ca+R groups were 3.5% (4/ 112), 26.9% (7 / 26), and 32.1% (17/53), respectively. The activation rate of the Ca+R group was significantly higher than that of the control and similar to that of the Ca ionophore group. Among the oocytes that remained unfertilized after TESE-ICSI, the activation rates of the Ca ionophore and Ca+R groups were 22.2% (2 / 9) and 43.8% (7 / 16), respectively. Conclusions : Sequential treatment with an Ca ionophore and roscovitine activates oocytes that remain unfertilized after ICSI. In TESE-ICSI, the activation rate tended to be increased by the co-administration of roscovitine with a Ca ionophore.