Human oviductal cells reduce the incidence of apoptosis in cocultured mouse embryos.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of human oviductal cell coculture on the incidence of apoptosis in mouse embryos.


METHODS
Experimental laboratory study.


METHODS
University gynecology unit.


METHODS
Fallopian tubes were obtained from patients undergoing hysterectomy.


METHODS
Mouse embryos were cocultured with human oviductal cells.


METHODS
Blastocyst development, allocation of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) in blastocyst, and apoptosis in embryos.


RESULTS
Oviductal cells significantly enhanced the blastulation (38%) and hatching rate (22%) of the cocultured zygotes. The corresponding values in medium alone culture were 21% and 9%, respectively. The cocultured embryos also had higher blastomere count at blastocyst stage (P<0. 005). This was due to increase in both the cell count of ICM (P<0. 05) and TE (P<0.001). Coculture reduced the incidence of apoptosis in the cultured morula and blastocyst from 38% and 48% to 16% (P<0. 001) and 27% (P<0.05), respectively. The number of apoptotic blastomeres per morula (1.5 +/- 0.6; P<0.005) and blastocyst (2.3 +/- 0.7; P<0.005) after coculture was also significantly lower than that of the corresponding control (morula, 2.1 +/- 0.8; blastocyst, 3.5 +/- 1.1).


CONCLUSIONS
Human oviductal cells improved mouse embryo development partly by decreasing the incidence of apoptosis.
Xu
J
J
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hong Kong, China.
Cheung
T M
TM
Chan
S T
ST
Ho
P C
PC
Yeung
W S
WS
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051379:Mice; D010057:Oviducts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*