Xiao-Jian Zhang, Ye-Zhou Yang, Li-Hua Min, Qun Lv, Pin Bai, Xiao-Jie Li, Mei-Xu Liao,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (7-2011)
Abstract
Background: The selection of pre-embryos for transferred is based on morphological appearance. But some poor quality cleaved embryos also can be cultured to the blastocyst stage and implanted.
Objective: To assess the clinical pregnancy outcomes of blastocyst transfer which developed from poor quality embryos.
Materials and Methods: A total of 109 cleaved embryos with poor quality were cultured to day 5/day 6 and 27 (24.8%) blastocysts were collected from the 15 cycles/patients undergoing conventional IVF. All the blastocysts were cooling with fast-freezing. Then the blastocysts were warmed for transfer. Results: All of 25 vitrified blastocysts (92.6%) survived after warming and were transferred to 15 patients. Five of the women became pregnant.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that vitrified human day 5/day 6 blastocyst transfer which develop from poor quality embryo at day 3 can contribute to increasing cumulative pregnancy rates in assisted reproduction.
Liu Xuemei, Yue Jing, Xu Bei, Hu Juan, Ren Xinling, Liu Qun, Zhu Guijin,
Volume 11, Issue 11 (12-2013)
Abstract
Background: Creation of artificial gametes may provide a universal solution for these patients of lacking gametes. Stem cell technology may provide a way to obtain fully functional gametes. Retinoic acid (RA) can initiate meiosis. Several studies have demonstrated that RA can promote sperm cells differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and other cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).
Objective: We sought to determine whether RA could promote differentiation of germ cells from hESCs.
Materials and Methods: hESCs were differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs) in suspension with all-trans RA (atRA) or without atRA for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days, and then compared the expression of VASA, SCP3, GDF9 and TEKT1 by real-time PCR. The statistical differences were evaluated by one way ANOVA.
Results: The expression of germ cell-specific markers including the gonocyte marker VASA, the meiotic marker SCP3, and postmeiotic markers, GDF9 and TEKT1, all increased in the presence and absence of RA as EB differentiation progressed. In addition, the expression of these markers increased an average of 9.3, 6.9, 7.2 and 11.8 fold respectively in the presence of RA, compared to the absence of RA, over 5 days differentiation.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that hESCs may have the potential to differentiate to primordial germ cells (PGCs) and early gametes. And RA can improve germ cells differentiation from hESCs.
