• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2014

Objective: In search of an ideal method of assisted hatching (AH), we compared the effects of conventional micropipette-AH and laser-AH on the blastocyst formation rate (BFR) and blastocyst cell numbers. Methods: Four-to five-week-old ICR female mice were paired with male mice after superovulation using Pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and hCG. The two-cell embryos were flushed from the oviducts of female mice. The retrieved two-cell embryos underwent one of five AH procedures: single mechanical assisted hatching (sMAH); cross mechanical assisted hatching (cMAH); single laser assisted hatching (sLAH); quarter laser assisted hatching (qLAH); and quarter laser zona thinning assisted hatching (qLZT-AH). After 72 hours incubation, double immunofluorescence staining was performed. Results: Following a 72 hours incubation, a higher hatching BFR was observed in the control, sMAH, cMAH, and sLAH groups, compared to those in the qLAH and qLZT-AH groups (p<0.05). The hatched BFR was significantly higher in the qLAH and qLZT-AH groups than in the others (p<0.05 for each group). The inner cell mass (ICM) was higher in the control and sMAH group (p<0.05). The trophectoderm cell number was higher in the cMAH and qLAH groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that the hatched BFR was higher in groups exposed the the qLAH and qLZT-AH methods compared to groups exposed to other AH methods. In the qLAH group, although the total cell number was significantly higher than in controls, the ICM ratio was significantly lower in than controls.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.94-100
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• 2015

Objective: The goal of this study was to ascertain optimal assisted hatching (AH) method in frozen embryo transfer. We compared the effect of depending on whether mechanical or laser-AH was performed before or after the vitrification of embryo development rate and blastocyst cell numbers. Methods: In order to induce superovulation, pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin followed by human chorionic gonadotropin were injected into 4- to 5-week-old female mice. 2-cell embryos were then collected by flushing out the oviducts. The Expanded blastocysts were recovered after the collected embryos were incubated for 48 hours, and were then subjected to artificial shrinkage (AS) and cross-mechanical AH (cMAH) or quarter-laser zona thinning-AH (qLZT-AH) were carried out using the expanded blastocysts before or after vitrification. After 48 hours of incubation, followed by vitrification and thawing (V-T), and blastocysts were fluorescence stained and observed. Results: The rate of formation of hatched blastocysts after 24 and 72 hours of incubation was significantly higher in the AS/qLZT-AH/V-T group than in the other groups (p<0.05). The cell number of the inner cell mass was higher in AS/V-T/non-AH and AS/V-T/cMAH groups than those of others (p<0.05). In the control group, the number of trophectoderm and the total cell number were higher than in the AS-AH group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The above results suggest that AS and AH in vitrification of expanded blastocysts lead to the more efficient formation of hatched blastocysts in mice.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.155.2-155.2
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• 2006

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.345-351
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• 2000

Objective: Hatching of the blastocyst from the zona pellucida (ZP) is a key event in mammalian implantation. In vivo, two factors have been identified as possible mediators of hatching: lysis of the ZP by substances elaborated either from the embryo or female reproductive tract and pressure exerted on the zona by expansion of the blastocyst. Two methods of zona manipulation were already in use to enhance the ability of embryos to hatch: mechanical PZD and chemical ZD by acidic Tyrode's solution. But several controversies of each method have been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pronase for mouse embryo hatching. Methods: Mouse embryos were obtained following ovulation induction of $F_1$ animals. Fresh and cryo-thawed morula embryos were exposed to 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 ${\mu}g/ml$ pronase in Ham's F10 for 72 hrs. Main outcome measures were the rates of partial hatching and completely hatched blastocysts, and cell number of it. Results: In fresh and cryo-thawed group, the rates of completely hatched blastocyst were significantly higher in 5 ${\mu}g/ml$ pronase treatment group than control group. There was no difference in completely hatched blastocyst total cell number between pronase treatment group and control group. This suggest that pronase treatment did not harmful in mouse embryo development. In pronase treatment group, zona pellucida were thinner than control group. Conclusion: The addition of pronase to culture media may accelerate the hatching of embryo. So, enzymatic treatment of the zona may provide a valuable and effective assisted hatching technique for human in-vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.