title: Comparison of mitochondrial DNA contents in human embryos with good or poor morphology at the 8-cell stage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the mitochondrial DNA contents in human embryos with good or poor quality at the 8-cell stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Private infertility clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five women aged 24 to 34 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Embryos obtained in standard superovulation and embryo culture procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy numbers in human embryos at cleavage stage were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction, in an effort to correlate with morphology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The grade 8A embryos contained a mean mtDNA copy number at 1163937 (n = 8, from three patients); grade 8B embryos, at 939345 (n = 5, from two patients); grade 8C(+) embryos, at 637872 (n = 12, from 5 patients); and grade 8C(+) embryos derived from 3PN zygotes, at 300429 (n = 3, from a single patient).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Great variations were found among blastomeres from a single embryo and among embryos from a single patient. The native variations of mtDNA copy number may affect developmental ability irrespective of morphology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Chung Shan Medical University, ROC, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: David Pei-Cheng
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chun Chia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hui Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tzu Chun
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Chung I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Maw Sheng
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D019836:Preimplantation Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial