title: Electrical activation of rabbit oocytes increases fertilization and embryo development by intracytoplasmic sperm injection using sperm from deceased male.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the effect of electrical stimulation on rabbit oocyte activation using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to determine whether viable offspring can be produced from deceased rabbit sperm using ICSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sperm were collected from a heterozygote GFP male rabbit 5 h after sacrifice and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Mature oocytes were fertilized using ICSI. A series of electrical pulse procedures were used to activate oocytes before and/or after ICSI. Following ICSI, zygotes were cultured in B2 medium for 4 days or transferred into the oviducts of recipient rabbits at the 2- or 4-cell stage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The blastocyst formation rate was significantly greater in oocytes that received one or two pulses prior to ICSI compared to controls and other electrically stimulated groups. In the single pulse before ICSI group, 23 % of the blastocysts expressed GFP, which was significantly greater than all other groups. However, those that received treatment before and after, or just following ICSI, showed a significant decrease in embryo survival. Finally, embryos from the single pulse before ICSI group were transferred into recipient female rabbits and a full-term kit was successfully delivered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One pulse of electrical stimulation prior to sperm injection was an effective method to activate rabbit oocytes for fertilization. Sperm collected from a deceased rabbit is able to produce viable embryos through ISCI that are capable of normal fetal and kit development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Animal Sciences, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 280 South Chongqing Rd., Shanghai, 200025, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Mingru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Manxi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Shangang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Heping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuejin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000379:methods; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology