Use of failed-fertilized oocytes for diagnostic zona binding purposes after sperm binding improvement with a modified medium.
OBJECTIVE
Because the availability of prophase oocytes for zona binding testing is limited, we compared sperm binding to the zona of failed-fertilized intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) oocytes after incubation in a standard IVF medium and a specially composed binding improvement medium.


METHODS
Semen samples from nine patients and nine fertile donors were separated in parallel by the standard swim-up method in both media. Subsequently, hemizona assays were performed with prophase, failed-fertilized ICSI and IVF oocytes.


RESULTS
Sperm separation resulted in a significantly higher sperm count (P < 0.01) and progressive motility (P = 0.018) in binding improvement medium. Moreover, spermatozoa coincubated with hemizonae (prophase, failed-fertilized ICSI and IVF oocytes) in binding improvement medium bound significantly more to hemizonae than in the controls (P < 0.01). However, the hemizona index did not differ.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus, the limited number of human zonae can be increased by the use of oocytes that failed to fertilize during ICSI or IVF. This will lead to a qualitative improvement of the diagnostic spectrum in male-factor infertility.
Henkel
R
R
Center of Dermatology and Andrology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
Müller
C
C
Stalf
T
T
Schill
W B
WB
Franken
D R
DR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D012099:Reproductive Techniques; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology*