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Related Concept Videos

Fertilization01:38

Fertilization

During fertilization, an egg and sperm cell fuse to create a new diploid structure. In humans, the process occurs once the egg has been released from the ovary, and travels into the fallopian tubes. The process requires several key steps: 1) sperm present in the genital tract must locate the egg; 2) once there, sperm need to release enzymes to help them burrow through the protective zona pellucida of the egg; and 3) the membranes of a single sperm cell and egg must fuse, with the sperm...
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Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure to...
Oogenesis01:22

Oogenesis

Oogenesis,  the process of developing egg cells (female gametes), occurs within the ovaries and is fundamental to female fertility. This sequence begins during fetal development when diploid oogonia in the developing ovaries undergo mitotic divisions to produce primary oocytes. By birth, these primary oocytes enter prophase I of meiosis but become arrested in this stage, remaining suspended until puberty.
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...

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Fertilization of Xenopus oocytes using the Host Transfer Method
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Nitric oxide extends the oocyte temporal window for optimal fertilization.

Pravin T Goud1, Anuradha P Goud, Michael P Diamond

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The CS Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.

Free Radical Biology & Medicine
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Summary

Nitric oxide (NO) is crucial for maintaining egg quality after ovulation, preventing age-related decline. Supplementing NO preserves fertilization and embryo development, while inhibiting NO impairs these processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Oocyte quality decline is a major factor in infertility, particularly with advanced maternal age.
  • Post-ovulatory aging significantly impacts oocyte viability and developmental potential.
  • Nitric oxide (NO) is implicated in various reproductive processes, but its role in post-ovulatory oocyte quality is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in preserving oocyte quality after ovulation.
  • To determine the effects of NO modulation on fertilization, embryo development, and apoptosis in aged oocytes.

Main Methods:

  • Sibling oocytes from superovulated mice were used.
  • Oocytes were treated with an NO donor (SNAP), an NO synthase inhibitor (L-NAME), or an sGC inhibitor (ODQ).
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was performed, followed by assessment of fertilization, cleavage, and blastocyst development. TUNEL assay was used to evaluate apoptosis.

Main Results:

  • Oocyte aging in culture medium significantly reduced fertilization and embryo development rates.
  • Exposure to the NO donor SNAP prevented age-related deterioration in oocyte quality.
  • Inhibition of NO synthesis (L-NAME) or signaling (ODQ) significantly impaired fertilization and development, and increased apoptosis.

Conclusions:

  • Nitric oxide (NO) plays an essential role in maintaining oocyte quality post-ovulation.
  • NO signaling is critical for successful fertilization and embryonic development, and for preventing age-related oocyte quality decline.
  • Targeting NO pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for improving fertility in cases of diminished oocyte quality.