[Effect of exogenous granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on ovulation and pregnancy rate in NMRI mice]

Background and Objective: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors [G-CSF] and its receptor express in developing follicles, fetal and reproductive tissues. The serum G-CSF concentration significantly increases during the ovulatory phase in comparison with other phases, so G-CSF may have an important role in ovulation and the early cross-talk between mother and conceptus in both human and animal models. This study was done to evaluate the Effect of exogenous G-CSF on ovulation and pregnancy rate in NMRI mice

Methods: In this experimental study, 40 mature female and 10 male NMRI mice were randomly allocated into the control and treatment groups. All Ovaries were stimulated with intraperitoneal injections [IP] of 10 IU PMSG and after 48 hour by 10 IU hCG per mouse. The treatment group were recieved G-CSF [50 micro g/kg i.p.], at the time of PMSG administration, while the control group had the same volume of normal saline instead of G-CSF at the same time. 16-18 hours post-hCG administration, twenty female mice of both groups were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and ovulated oocytes were assessed. On day 16 post coitus, the rest of female mice of both groups were scarificed for withdrawing their fetuses to determine the effect of G-CSF on pregnancy rates

Results: The ovulation rate in the treatment group [18.5 +/- 1.25] were significantly more than that of control [12.1 +/- 1.32] [P<0.05]. The number of fetuses had no significant difference between control and treatment groups

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that exogenous G-CSF may affect on folliculogenesis and ovulation but the following pregnancy outcome was not impressed

[Quantitative assessment of mouse embryo development yielded from in vitro fertilization of ovulated mature oocytes after ovarian stimulation using human menopausal gonadotropin and Estradiol valerate]

Estradiol plays an important role in folliculogenesis and its developmental stages of embryo. This study was done to determine the quantitative assessment of mouse embryo development yielded from in vitro fertilization of ovulated mature oocytes after ovarian stimulation using human menopausal gonadotropin [HMG] and Estradiol valerate [E2]. In this experimental study, 40 female NMRI mice were allocated into two groups. Control and treatment groups received HMG alone [10 IU/mouse] and a combination of HMG and E2 [1microg/mouse] in single dose manner, respectively. Following the induction of ovulation by HCG, the oocytes collected and morphologically evaluated. MII oocytes for in vitro fertilization [IVF] were transferred into medium containing capacitated and incubated sperm derived from male NMRI mice. The yielded embryos subsequently transferred into developmental medium for reaching to the blastocyst stage. The difference between the mean percentage of yielded oocytes and healthy MII oocytes in the control and treatment groups was not significant. The percentages of the fertilized oocytes reached to two-cells was 34.22 +/- 21.87 and 36.83 +/- 20.68 in control and treatment groups, respectively. The percentages of the blastocys stages of embryos was 49.41 +/- 26.5 and 62.02 +/- 30.11 in control and treatment groups, respectively. The addition of estradiol to HMG as an ovarian stimulator can not increase the rates of yielded MII oocytes and embryonic development