• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.75-81
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• 1999

The beneficial effect of glucose and phosphate ions in culture medium on the development of human embryos in vitro has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of fertilization and culture of embryos in glucose/phosphate-free m-TALP medium on pregnancy rates in IVF-ET program. The patients in 244 IVF-ET cycles received GnRH agonist + HMG regimens. A does of 10,000 IU HCG was administered when two or more dominent follicles reached 18mm in diameter. Thirty-six hours after HCG, oocytes were recovered transvaginally using ultrasound guidance. Aspirated oocytes were matured for 4 to 6 h in TCM-199 supplemented with 10% follicular fluid (FF). Insemination was carried out with 50,000 motile spermatozoa in TCM-199 + 10% FF or m-TALP + 5% FF + 5% fetal cord serum (FCS) according to experimental design. After 6 h, oocytes were washed 3 to 4 times and cultured in each fresh medium. After 20 h, oocytes were freed from cumulus/corona cells and examined for the presence of pronuclei. Fertilized oocytes were transferred into each co-culture drops and cultured for further incubation. On day 3, embryo transfer was performed with grade 1 and 2 embryos. Monolayers for co-culture of embryos were prepared by plating $1{\times}10^5$ cumulus cells/ml in 10ul drop of TCM-199 + 10% FF or m-TALP + 5% FF + 5% FCS media 24 h prior to the onset of co-culture. Development to 4 to 16 cell stage was observed at 70x magnification following two days of incubation. Pregnancy was confirmed by detecting increasing serum ${\beta}$-hCG concentrations for 11 days following embryo transfer. Data were analyzed by ${\chi}^2$-test. Oocytes from 244 IVF-ET cycles were randomized. The number of cycles and mean age of patients were 97 and 147, 31.3 yrs and 31.2 yrs for TCM-199 (control) and m-TALP groups, respectively. The mean number of retrieved oocytes/cycle, fertilization rates, number of embryos transferred/ET and pregnancy rates were 11.1 and 10.3, 65.1% and 67.3%, 4.1 and 4.7, 28.9% and 43.8% for TCM-199 and m-TALP groups, respectively. Differences in the pregnancy rates were found between control and m-TALP groups (p<0.05). The pregnancy rate of patients divided according to maternal age groups of ${\leq}30$, 31-35, $36{\leq}$ were 44.4% and 49.0%, 26.1% and 41.3%, 29.2% and 41.2% for control and m-TALP groups, respectively. These data indicate that culture of human embryos in glucose/phosphate-free m-TALP medium improves pregnancy rates.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제50권12호
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• pp.1194-1199
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• 2007

목 적 : 본 연구자들은 전자간증, 부당 경량아, 자궁 내 발육지연 등의 질환들이 공통적으로 혈관내피세포의 기능 변화와 어느 정도 관련되어 있을 것으로 추론하였다. 따라서 전자간증 산모의 신생아, 부당 경량아의 제대혈관내피세포를 배양하여 제대의 혈관내피세포에서 발현되는 대표적인 혈관 수축작용 물질인 endothelin-1의 양을 측정한 후 정상 신생아 제대혈관 내피세포의 결과와 비교하여 각 질환에서 태아의 혈관내피세포의 endothelin-1 발현 기능에 어떤 차이가 있는지를 확인하고, 또한 배양된 정상아 제대혈관내피세포에 전자간증 산모의 신생아와 부당 경량아 및 정상아의 제대혈 혈청을 투여하여 발현된 endothelin-1의 양을 비교하여 혈청 내에 endothelin-1의 발현을 촉진시키는 인자가 있는지를 알아보았다. 방 법 : 전자간증으로 진단 받은 산모의 신생아를 전자간증군(n=7), 부당 경량아로 진단받은 신생아를 부당 경량아군(n=8), 정상 신생아를 정상군(n=12)으로 나누었다. 각 그룹에서 태어난 신생아 제대와 제대혈을 모아 제대혈은 그 혈청을 영하 $70^{\circ}C$ 이하에 보관하였다. 전자간증군, 부당 경량아군 및 정상군 신생아의 제대 혈관내피세포를 분리하고 배양하였다. 배양된 각각의 제대 혈관내피세포의 상층액에서 endothelin-1 level을 측정하였다. 다음에는 전자간증군, SGA군 및 정상군의 제대혈 혈장과 정상 신생아 제대 혈관내피세포를 함께 부양하여 그 상층액에서 endothelin-1 level을 측정하였다. 결 과 : 전자간증군, 부당 경량아군 및 정상군의 제대혈관내피세포를 배양하여 발현된 endothelin-1의 양을 측정한 결과 전자간증군과 SGA군의 제대혈관내피세포의 endothelin-1 발현은 정상군과 유의한 차이가 없었다. 그러나 배양된 정상아 제대혈관내피세포에 전자간증군과 SGA군의 제대혈 혈청을 투여하여 발현된 endothelin-1의 양은 정상군에 비하여 유의하게 증가되었다. 결 론 : 전자간증 신생아나 부당 경량아의 혈관내피세포의 기능이상을 유발하는 인자가 전자간증과 부당경량아 제대 혈청내에 존재할 가능성이 있을 것으로 생각된다.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.235-243
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• 2007

인간 제대혈 세포는 조혈모세포, 중간엽 줄기세포와내피전구세포를 풍부하게 포함하고 있다. 인간 제대혈 속의 중간엽 줄기세포는 조혈모세포와는 달리 다능성 줄기세포이며 신경세포로 분화할 수 있는 잠재성을 가지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 세포배양을 통해 제대혈의 중간엽 줄기세포를 신경세포와 콜린성 신경세포로 분화를 유도하였다. 중간엽 줄기세포를 신경세포로 분화시키기 위해 배양액에 dimethyl sulphoxide(DMSO)와 butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA)를 첨가하여 유도하였으며 basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF), retinoic acid(RA), sonic hedgehog(Shh)를 처리하여 콜린성 신경세포로 분화시켰다. DMSO와 BHA에 처리된 중간엽 줄기세포가 빠르게 신경세포 모양으로 분화하는 것을 관찰하였으며, 이것은 면역조직학적 염색에서 신경세포 특이 표지인 $\beta$-tubulin III, 별아교세포에 대한 특이 표지인 GFAP, 희돌기아교세포에 대한 특이 표지인 Gal-C에 대해 양성반응을 나타내었고, 그 비율은 각각 $32.3{\pm}2.9%$, $11.0{\pm}0.9%,\;9.4{\pm}1.0%$였다. RT-PCR 분석에서 배양 단계에 따라 신경세포에 특이적인 표지 인자가 발현됨을 통해, 중간엽 줄기세포가 신경세포로 분화됨을 확인하였다. 또한, 중간엽 줄기세포에 bFGF, RA, Shh를 처리하여 콜린성 신경세포로 분화시켰을 때, 전체 중간엽 세포 중 $31.3{\pm}3.2%$가 신경세포 특이 표지인 $\beta$-tubulin III에 양성반응을 보였으며 이들 세포 중 $70.0{\pm}7.8%$가 콜린성 신경 특이 표지인 ChAT에 양성반응을 보였고, 이것은 Woodbury 방법에 의한 신경분화의 경우보다 3배 가량 높은 비율로 콜린성 신경의 분화를 유도한 것이다. 이러한 실험 결과들은 인간 제대혈의 중간엽 줄기세포가 콜린성 신경세포로 분화가 가능하고 이러한 잠재성을 가진 제대혈 중간엽 줄기세포는 퇴행성 신경질환에 대한 세포 치료제로서 가능성을 제시한다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.87-94
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• 1996

For evaluating the suitability of human follicular fluid(HFF) as protein supplement in ART, this preliminary study was performed to examine the maturation promoting activity of HFF on mouse follicular oocytes in vitro. Mouse follicular oocytes were collected from ovaries of 21-28 day old ICR mice by puncturing the antral follicles with fine needle at 48 hours after PMSG injection. The oocytes were rinsed and cultured in modified Whittingham's $T_6$ medium containing purines or dbcAMP to maintain meiotic arrest, and different concentrations of HFF were added into the culture medium to examine the effect of HFF on releasing the oocytes from the suppressive influence of the meiotic inhibitors. As a control for HFF, the maturation promoting activity of human fetal cord serum(HFCS) was investigated and compared with the activity of HFF. While HFF was separated, by molecular weight(M.W), into high M.W. fraction(M.W>30,000) and low M.W. fraction(M.W<30,000) and the effects of the fractions on meiotic resumption were investigated in the presence of the meiotic inhibitors. Also hormone analysis was performed to compare the content of hormones in HFF with that in HFCS. Same concentrations of HFF and HFCS induced similar germinal vesicle break down(GVBD) rates of the oocytes meiotic arrested by purines(4mM hypoxanthine+0.75mM adenosine), but the extrusion rate of 1st polar body(PB) of the oocytes cultured in HFF(65.0%, P<0.05) was significantly higher than that(51.6%) in HFCS. While, in the presence of 200 M dbcAMP, the maturation promoting activity of HFF (GVBD: 70.5%, $p<10^{-6}$; 1st PB extrusion: 67.1%, $p<10^{-3}$) was significantly greater than that of HFCS(GVBD: 35.2%; 1st PB extrusion: 41.1%). The oocytes cultured in the fraction of HFF containing high M.W. components showed higher meiotic maturation rates than the oocytes cultured in the low M.W. fraction of HFF. Gonadotropins and $E_2$ were known to improve the completion of maturation changes, and the levels of these hormones were higher in HFF than in HFCS. Therefore, HFF was more effective than HFCS to use for promoting meiotic resumption of mouse oocytes in vitro.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.103-108
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• 1996

Through the previous studies(I,II), it was observed that human follicular fluid(HFF) was more effective than human fetal cord serum(HFCS) on promoting meiotic resumption of oocytes and improving embryonic development of mouse in vitro. On the basis of these results, we have gradually exchanged HFCS with HFF as protein supplement in human ART. This study was performed to investigate the efficiency of HFF on improving the pregnancy rate in ART. Oocytes were retrieved transvaginally from patients treated with pituitary suppression with GnRH-agonist and ovarian stimulation with human menopausal gonadotro-pin(HMG) and pure follicle stimulating hormone(FSH). Aspirated oocytes were rinsed and cultured in TCM-199 containing HFF, and the concentrations of HFF were adjusted to 10, 20, and 30% according to the use for insemination, embryo growth and embryo transfer, respectively. As possible as, we tried to do embryo transfer into fallopian tube to mimic the coincidence of the cell stage with the place of sojourn in vivo, so we performed various ART programs(IVF & ET; in vitro fertilization, ZIFT; zygote intra fallopian-tube transfer, ZIFT & ET) according to the tubal conditions of patients. On the while, intra cytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI) was used to assist IVF of the patients who had shown poor standard IVF results by immunological or severe male factor. Of the 255 cycles of ART programs using HFF as protein supplement, 118 cycles were turn out to be succeeded in pregnancy(46.2%, per cycle, p<0.05), while 21 pregnancies were achieved in the 69 cycles using HFCS(30.4%). The 255 cycles using HFF were subdivided into cycles with the type of ART programs, and each pregnancy rate of the ART programs were 44.7% (IVF & ET, 76/170 cycles), 53.4%(ZIFT, 31/58 cycles) and 40.7% (ZIFT & ET, 11/27 cycles), respectively. In the 61 ICSI cycles using HFF, 28 cycles succeed in pregnancy(45.9%), while 7 pregnancies were obtained in the 17 ICSI cycles using HFCS. Also the ongoing pregnancy rate in the group using HFF(78.8%, 93/118 cycles) was higher than that in the group using HFCS(61.9%). Therefore, we found that the use of HFF as protein supplement was more suitable and effective than the use of HFCS to improve the pregnancy rate in ART.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.133-141
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• 1992

We examined effects of co-culture with human oviduct epithelial cells (HOEC) on the development of mouse and human embryos from early embryonic· stage to late morula or blastocyst stage (LM or B). In human, embryos were transferred and pregnancy rate was investigated. The HOEC, collected from surgically removed fallopian tube, were cultured in medium-199 supplemented with 20 % fetal cord serum (FCS). The HOEC were characterized by using immunocytochemical staining with anticytokeratin antibody and then used for cultures of mouse and human embryos. Results obtained from co-culture system were as follows. Development rate of mouse embryos was improved by co-culture system at late developmental stage (p<0.025). Human supernumerary embryos remained after transfer, unsuitable for freezing because of their poor quality, were co-cultured for 72hrs. Co-culture (78.79%) or conditioned medium (78.26%) system improved the developmemt rate, significantly, in comparision with control (11.11%)(p<0.00l). Co-cultured (85.71%) human zygotes for 24hrs showed the better development rate in comparision with control (50.00%) (p<0.01). When we transferred embryos cultured with the HOEC to patients, we obtained one pregnancy. Co-cultured human zygotes for 24hrs showed the better quality and viability for the replacement in comparision with control (p<0.01). In addition, improved pregnancy rate was obtained. Our results suggest that the co-culture system can rescue early degenerating embryos by improving early development and yield a resonable number of blastocyst for the appropriate replacement. The effect provided by cultured HOEC is not species specific for the development of embryos and it can be used to overcome in vitro blocks for the development. And also the co-culture system offers the possibility to freeze embryos at blastocyst stage which is more sucessful stage for the freezing. The HOEC monolayer may provide some stimulus via specific factor, which is unknown, to the development of embryos. Our results showed that the co-culture system with HOEC can be an alternative to conventional culture system.

• 한국가축번식학회지
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.85-92
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• 1993

In the previous study, we observed that Purine has a time dependent effect in maintaining the oocytes in meiotic arrest, and human fetal cord serum(HFCS) and human mature follicular fluid(HMFF) reverse the GVBD suppressed by purines. And it was reported that purine has a harmful effect on the development of oocytes or embryos, when they were cultured for a long time, in vitro. Therefore this study was performed to investigate the effects of purine on extrusion rates of 1st pb and viability of oocytes cultured for a long time, in vitro. Immature oocytes(GV stage) were collected from ovaries of 25~28 day old ICR mice at 48 hrs after PMSG injection. Cumulus-enclosed and denuded oocytes collected were assigned randomly to one of several culture conditions. Some of the oocytes were cultured in 4mM hypoxanthine for 24hr, and the extrusion rates of 1st pb and viability of the oocytes were assessed at every 12 hrs. In the viability, the oocytes showed granulation, pigmentation of cytoplasm or lysis of 1st pb extruded were regarded as degenerating oocytes. Also some of the oocytes were cultured in hypoxanthine for 12 hrs then the resulting oocytes were transferred to hypoxanthine-free medium and cultured for 12 hrs to determine whether the inhibitory effect of hypoxanthine on the 1st pb extrusion was reversible. The rest of the oocytes were cultured in medium containing hypoxanthine and adenosine for 18 hrs to compare the 1st pb extrusion be attendant upon hte concentration of HFCS or HMFF supplemented. Hypoxanthine suppressed the extrusion of 1st pb and viability of the oocytes significantly, when they were cultured for more than 12 hrs and the harmful effect of hypoxanthine was showed in denuded oocytes, prominently. The suppressive effect of hypoxanthine was reversed by just removal of the hypoxanthine from the cultrue medium. Also there was no difference in reverse the pb extrusion rate suppressed between HFCS and HMFF. The extrusion rate of 1st pb in medium containing adenosine and hypoxanthine was increased in line with the concentration of HFCS or HMFF supplemented. Hypoxanthine suppressed the extrusion of 1st pb and viability of the oocytes significantly, when they were cultured for more than 12 hrs and the harmful effect of hypoxanthine was showed in denuded oocytes, prominetly. The suppressive effect of hypoxanthine was reversed by just removal of the hypoxanthine fromthe culture medium. Also there was no difference in reverse the pb extrusion rate suppressed between HFCS and HMFF. The extrusion rate of 1st pb in medium containing adenosine and hypoxanthine was increased in line with the concentration of HFCS or HMFF supplemented.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.21-29
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• 1994

Subzonal insemination(SUZI) has been proposed for patients with severe male factor and previous fertilization failure. However, very low fertilization rates still persisted. The aims of this study were firstly, to examine the relationships between the fertilization rate and sperm parmeters, sperm incubation media and time, secondly, to evaluate the outcome of 119 cycles of SUZI applied the modified sperm preparation method. The fertilization rates were influenced more sensitively by sperm preincubation media and time than by sperm parameters. According to preincubation media and time, the fertilization rates were 43.3% in 50% follicular fluid (HFF), 36.6% in 10% fetal cord serum(FCS), and with the time, increased in FCS, but decreased in HFF. In regrd with sperm parameters, the fertilization rates were 42.9% in normal and 37.6% in subnormal group. The best results were obtained from SUZI by the spermatozoa incubated in 50% HFF for 6-8 hours. So we tried 119 cycles of SUZI(normal; 39 cycles, subnormal; 80 cycles) using the preparation method of 6-8 hour incubation in 50% HFF. There were no signigicant differences in the fertilization rates between normal(125/269, 46.4%) and subnormal sperm(264/635, 41.6%). Contrary to the fertilization rates, pregnancy outcomes were different between both groups. Better results obtained from the subnormal group than the normal in the number of transferred embryos, that of good embryos, and developmental rate of the fertilized eggs. The pregnancy rates per transfer were totally 13.3%(13/98),20.0%(13/65) in subnormal group. In the normal group, 2 patients showed ${\beta}$-hCG positive, but resulted in chemical pregnancy. Of 13 clinical pregnancies, two aborted, 6 on-going, and 5 delivered. In conclusion, SUZI is an effective technique to overcome fertilization failure for male factor and unexplained. The fertilization rate is influenced by sperm parameters, sperm incubation media and time. Also the quality of oocytes might be important for pregnancy as same as that of sperm.