title: Detection of endotoxin in human in vitro fertilization by the zona-free mouse embryo assay.
abstract: Endotoxin has been found to be a contaminant in human in vitro fertilization (IVF), leading to low pregnancy rates, mostly through embryo fragmentation. We wished to determine if standard quality control assays (one-cell and two-cell mouse embryo culture) were able to detect the presence of endotoxin and how they compared with the zona-free mouse embryo assays. Endotoxin was detected by the zona-free mouse embryo assays but not by the one- or two-cell mouse embryo assays. When excessive embryo fragmentation is noticed in the human IVF system, the use of zona-free mouse embryo assays is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco-Fresno.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montoro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Subias
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baccaro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sueldo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D001755:Blastocyst; D003470:Culture Media; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004731:Endotoxins