title: Light exposure of oocytes and pregnancy rates after their transfer in the rabbit.
abstract: Groups of unfertilized and pronuclear stage rabbit oocytes were exposed to fluorescent light of 3250 lx for 20-30 min at 37 degrees C. In 6 experiments with fertilization achieved in vivo, 54% of the zygotes exposed as secondary oocytes and 67% of light-protected controls had implanted and developed normally 16 days after transfer to the contralateral oviducts of synchronized recipients. When pronuclear oocytes were exposed similarly in 8 experiments, 63% had established a normal pregnancy at 16 days after transfer compared to 65% of the controls. In 5 of these pregnancies which were allowed to proceed to term, all the young born appeared normal. Though similar in size, it is not clear whether the rabbit oocyte constitutes a suitable model for the human oocyte in regard to the effects of visible light. However, the level of exposure used here is 200-300 times that experienced during normal in-vitro manipulation of human eggs. The absence of significant effects should allay concerns that light is a negative factor in the normal procedure of in-vitro fertilization in man.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bedford
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dobrenis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D005260:Female; D008027:Light; D009865:Oocytes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits