Use of imported cryopreserved hamster oocytes in the diagnosis of male infertility.
Frozen hamster oocytes have been imported from England to Australia to establish a test for human sperm fertilizing capacity based on penetration of zona-free hamster oocytes. When examined under similar conditions used for human in vitro fertilization (IVF), high and consistent rates of penetration by human spermatozoa were obtained which were similar whether the spermatozoa had been stored frozen or freshly collected. The availability of a validated test of the capacity of human spermatozoa to fuse with a receptive vitelline membrane should prove useful in combination with other clinical parameters in the evaluation of male infertility.
D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes