Supplementation of in-vitro fertilisation culture medium with platelet activating factor.
The supplementation of culture medium with platelet activating factor (PAF) on the subsequent implantation and pregnancy potential of pre-embryos produced by in-vitro fertilisation was studied. Pre-embryo culture medium was supplemented with 0 (control), 0.186, 0.93, or 1.49 mumol/1 PAF. Pre-embryos were transferred to PAF-containing medium 15-17 h after insemination (ie, just before syngamy) for 24 h and then transferred to the uterus. For 185 women receiving control pre-embryos, the pregnancy rate (positive beta human chorionic gonadotropin per oocyte retrieval) was 10.2%, while 166 women who received PAF treated pre-embryos (all concentrations combined) achieved a pregnancy rate of 17.5%. This difference was significant. The pregnancy rates per pre-embryo transferred were 6.1% and 9.4% for the control and PAF groups, respectively. The percentage of positive pregnancy tests that resulted in a viable pregnancy (presence of fetal heart at 8 weeks) was 78.9% in the controls and 75.9% in the PAF group. There was no difference in the average number of embryos transferred in either group. The increase in the pregnancy rate after a short exposure of pre-embryos to PAF in vitro suggests that PAF mediates pre-embryo development.
O'Neill
C
C
Human Reproduction Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
Ryan
J P
JP
Collier
M
M
Saunders
D M
DM
Ammit
A J
AJ
Pike
I L
IL
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003470:Culture Media; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000187:drug effects; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D003470:Culture Media; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor