In recent years, the incidence of teratospermia has been increasing, and it has become a very important factor leading to male infertility. The research on the molecular mechanism of teratospermia is also progressing rapidly. This article briefly summarizes the clinical incidence of teratozoospermia, and makes a retrospective summary of related studies reported in recent years. Specifically discussing the relationship between gene status and spermatozoa, the review aims to provide the basis for the genetic diagnosis and gene therapy of teratozoospermia.

Although the role of myo-inositol (MYO) in promoting the oocyte quality of PCOS patients has been documented in human studies; the cellular effects of this supplement on oocytes have not been directly examined due to ethical limitations. In the first phase of this study, MYO dosimetry was carried out simultaneously with the PCOS model development. An effective dose was obtained following the assessment of fasting insulin and testosterone levels using ELISA and ovarian morphology appraisal by histopathology. In the second phase, following the continuous administration of the effective dose of MYO and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cellular evaluation was performed. The quality of oocytes from superovulation was analyzed by examining maturity and normal morphology percentage using a stereomicroscope, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) levels using fluorometry, and ATP count evaluation using ELISA. The results revealed that, among the four different MYO concentrations, the 0.36 mg/g dose compared with the DHEA group reduced testosterone levels and large atretic antral follicles (LAtAnF) diameter. This dose also increased the corpus luteum count and the granulosa:theca (G/T)layer thickness ratio in antral follicles. Furthermore, this dose increased mature oocytes and normal morphology percentage, ATP count, and GSH levels; however, it decreased ROS levels in mature oocytes. Our findings provide the grounds for further cellular and molecular studies on the PCOS mouse model, suggesting that the improvement in mitochondrial function and its antioxidant properties is probably one of the mechanisms by which MYO increases oocyte quality.

This study aimed to evaluate the ploidy and survival of larvae resulting from crosses between tetraploid females and diploid males of yellowtail tetra Astyanax altiparanae, both females (three diploids and three tetraploids) and males (n = 3 diploids). Breeders were subjected to hormonal induction with pituitary gland extract from common carp fish (Cyprinus carpio). Females received two doses at concentrations of 0.3 and 3.0 mg/kg −1 body weight and at intervals of 6 h. Males were induced with a single dose of 3.0 mg/kg −1 applied simultaneously with the second dose in females. Oocytes from each diploid and tetraploid female were fertilized with semen from the same male, resulting in two crosses: cross 1 (diploid male and diploid female) and cross 2 (diploid male and tetraploid female). The procedures were performed with separate females (diploid and tetraploid) and diploid males for each repetition (n = 3). For ploidy determination, 60 larvae from each treatment were analyzed using flow cytometry and cytogenetic analyses. As expected, flow cytometry analysis showed that progenies from crosses 1 and 2 presented diploid and triploid individuals, respectively, with a 100% success rate. The same results were confirmed in the cytogenetic analysis, in which the larvae resulting from cross 1 had 50 metaphase chromosomes and those from cross 2 had 75 chromosomes. The oocytes have a slightly ovoid shape at the time of extrusion. Diploid oocytes had a size of 559 ± 20.62 μm and tetraploid of 1025.33 ± 30.91 μm. Statistical differences were observed between eggs from crosses 1 and 2 (P = 0.0130). No significant differences between treatments were observed for survival at the 2-cell stage (P = 0.6174), blastula (P = 0.9717), gastrula (P = 0.5301), somite (P = 0.3811), and hatching (P = 0.0984) stages. In conclusion, our results showed that tetraploid females of the yellowtail tetra A. altiparanae are fertile, present viable gametes after stripping and fertilization using the ‘dry method’, and may be used for mass production of triploids. This is the first report of these procedures within neotropical characins, and which can be applied in other related species of economic importance.

Adult male and female Murrah buffalo fibroblast cells were used as donors for the production of embryos using handmade cloning. Both donor cells and reconstructed embryos were treated with 50 nM trichostatin-A (TSA) and 7.5 nM 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). The blastocyst rate of both treated male (40.1% ± 2.05) and female (37.0% ± 0.83) embryos was significantly lower than in untreated control males (49.7% ± 3.80) and females (47.2% ± 2.44) but their apoptotic index was lower (male, control: 5.90 ± 0.48; treated: 4.96 ± 0.31): (female, control: 8.11 ± 0.67; treated: 6.65 ± 0.43) and epigenetic status in terms of global acetylation and methylation of histone was significantly improved. The expression level of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) was higher (P < 0.05) and that of PGK, G6PD, OCT 4, IFN-tau and CASPASE3 was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in treated male blastocyst than control and the expression levels of DNMT1, IGF1R and BCL-XL were not significantly different between the two groups. In the female embryos, the relative mRNA abundance of OCT4 was significantly higher (P < 0.05), and that of XIST and CASPASE3 was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the epigenetic modifier-treated group compared with that of the control group, whereas the expression levels of HPRT, PGK, G6PD, DNMT1, IFN-tau, IGF1R and BCL-XL were not significantly different between the two groups. In both embryos, a similar effect of treatment was observed on genes related to growth and development, but the effect on the expression of X-linked genes varied. These results indicate that not all X-linked genes respond to TSA and 5-aza-dC treatment in the same manner.

The low maturation rate of oocytes is an important reason for female infertility and failure of assisted pregnancy. The germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) is a landmark event of oocyte maturation. In our previous studies, we found that zona pellucida 3 (ZP3) was strongly concentrated in the nuclear region of germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes and interacted with aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein-like 1 (AIPL1) and lamin A to promote GVBD. In the current study, we found that lamin A is mainly concentrated in the nuclear membrane. When ZP3 is knocked down, lamin A will be partially transferred to the nucleus of oocytes. The prelamin A is increased in both the nuclear membrane and nucleus, while phosphorylated lamin A (p-lamin A) is significantly reduced. AIPL1 was also proved to accumulate in the GV region of oocytes, and ZP3 deletion can significantly inhibit the aggregation of AIPL1 in the nuclear region. Similar to ZP3 knockdown, the absence of AIPL1 resulted in a decrease in the occurrence of GVBD, an increase in the amount of prelamin A, and a significant decrease in p-lamin A in oocytes developed in vitro. Finally, we propose the hypothesis that ZP3 can stabilize farnesylated prelamin A on the nuclear membrane of AIPL1, and promote its further processing into mature lamin A, therefore promoting the occurrence of GVBD. This study may be an important supplement for the mechanism of oocyte meiotic resumption and provide new diagnostic targets and treatment clues for infertility patients with oocyte maturation disorder.

According to the World Health Organization, the female reproductive age lasts up to 49 years, but problems with the realization of women’s reproductive rights may arise much earlier. Significant numbers of factors affect the state of reproductive health: socioeconomic, ecological, lifestyle features, the level of medical literacy, and the state of the organization and medical care quality. Among the reasons for fertility decline in advanced reproductive age are the loss of cellular receptors for gonadotropins, an increase in the threshold of sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary system to the action of hormones and their metabolites, and many others. Furthermore, negative changes accumulate in the oocyte genome, reducing the possibility of fertilization, normal development and implantation of the embryo and healthy offspring birth. Another theory of ageing causing changes in oocytes is the mitochondrial free radical theory of ageing. Taking into account all these age-related changes in gametogenesis, this review considers modern technologies aimed at the preservation and realization of female fertility. Among the existing approaches, two main ones can be distinguished: methods allowing the preservation of reproductive cells at a younger age using ART intervention and cryobanking, as well as methods aimed at improving the basic functional state of advanced-age women’s oocytes and embryos.

This study was performed to analyze the morphometric traits and indices in 3000 animals of five registered sheep breeds in the Himalayan region under a multivariate approach. Data were recorded under field conditions with equal coverage of the five breeds, viz., Karnah, Gurez, Poonchi, Bakerwal and Changthangi on body length (BL), height at withers (HW), chest girth (CG), ear length (EL), and tail length (TL). Furthermore, four derived traits (indices) were studied, which included an index of body frame (IBF), an index of thorax development (ITD), a Baron–Crevat index (BCI), and an index of body weight (IBW). Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) was undertaken on nine morphometric traits. Kaiser’s criterion was used to reduce the number of principal components for further analysis and interpretation. The adequacy of sampling was evaluated using Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The mean BL ranged from 52.15 (Changthangi) to 71.13 (Gurez). The estimates of HW, CG, EL and TL were highest in Gurez (63.49), Bakerwal (84.82), Bakerwal (7.26), and Karnah (8.18) breeds, respectively. Among the derived traits, the highest IBF was observed in the Gurez breed with an estimate of 112.22. Upon multivariate PCA on the dataset, the first four principal components were able to explain 92.117% of the total variance. The KMO test, Bartlett’s test of sphericity and estimated communalities showed the appropriateness of PCA on the evaluated traits. Four eigenvalues were greater than one and were extracted for further analysis. Morphometric traits were highly correlated, except for EL and TL that showed lower correlation estimates with other traits. The Changthangi population showed the lowest estimates of BL, HW, CG and rectangular body frame. The present study ascertained important morphometric traits/indices that can help in developing selection criteria and formulating sustainable breeding and conservation plans vis-à-vis the unique sheep breeds of the temperate Himalayas.

Aberrant DNA methylation patterns in sperm are a cause of embryonic failure and infertility, and could be a critical factor contributing to male recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The purpose of this study was to reveal the potential effects of sperm DNA methylation levels in patients with male RSA. We compared sperm samples collected from fertile men and oligoasthenospermia patients. Differentially methylated sequences were identified by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) methods. The DNA methylation levels of the two groups were compared and qRT-PCR was used to validate the expression of genes showing differential methylation. The results indicated that no difference in base distribution was observed between the normal group and the patient group. However, the chromosome methylation in these two groups was markedly different. One site was located on chromosome 8 and measured 150 bp, while the other sites were on chromosomes 9, 10, and X and measured 135 bp, 68 bp, and 136 bp, respectively. In particular, two genes were found to be hypermethylated in these patients, one gene was DYDC2 (placed in the differential methylation region of chromosome 10), and the other gene was NXF3 (located on chromosome X). Expression levels of DYDC2 and NXF3 in the RSA group were significantly lower than those in the normal group (P < 0.05). Collectively, these results demonstrated that changes in DNA methylation might be related to male RSA. Our findings provide important information regarding the potential role of sperm DNA methylation in human development.

Carvacrol (C10H14O), an efficient phenolic antioxidant substance for several cell types, may become a useful antioxidant for female germ cells and embryo culture. This study investigates the effects of carvacrol supplementation on bovine oocytes in in vitro maturation (IVM) and embryo production. In total, 1222 cumulus–oocyte complexes were cultured in TCM-199+ alone (control treatment) or supplemented with carvacrol at the concentrations of 3 µM (Carv-3), 12.5 µM (Carv-12.5), or 25 µM (Carv-25). After IVM, the oocytes were subjected to in vitro fertilization and embryo production, and the spent medium post-IVM was used for evaluating the levels of reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant capacity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid quantification). A greater (P < 0.05) antioxidant potential was observed in the spent medium of all carvacrol-treated groups compared with the control medium. Moreover, the addition of carvacrol to the maturation medium did not affect (P > 0.05) blastocyst production on days 7 and 10 of culture; however, the total number of cells per blastocyst was reduced (P < 0.05) in two carvacrol-treated groups (Carv-3 and Carv-25). In conclusion, carvacrol demonstrated a high antioxidant capacity in the spent medium after oocyte maturation; however, although embryo production was not affected, in general, carvacrol addition to IVM medium reduced the total number of cells per blastocyst. Therefore, due to the high antioxidant capacity of carvacrol, new experiments are warranted to investigate the beneficial effects of lower concentrations of carvacrol on embryo production in cattle and other species.

The role of hyaluronic acid (HA) as a ‘physiologic selector’ is also well recognized in vitro: it has been demonstrated that spermatozoa that bind to immobilized HA in vitro are those having completed their plasma membrane remodelling, and cytoplasmic and meiotic maturation. Sperm selection using HA has been expected to increase the implantation rate in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. This work was designed to evaluate an alternative product for slowing sperm motility that contains HA and measures its outcomes: fertilization rate, embryo quality, and implantation and pregnancy rates. The present study found a positive drift in embryo quality that was statistically significant in the study group (SpermSlow™-ICSI) with teratozoospermia compared with PVP-ICSI in the same group. There were differences in the pregnancy rate (statistically insignificant in normozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and teratozoospermia) in the SpermSlow-ICSI group compared with PVP-ICSI. The HA-ICSI technique in assisted reproduction technology (ART) is an important way to improve fertilization rate, embryo quality, and pregnancy rate.

The objective of the current study was to investigate the influence of synergism of the dry powder of Alpinia galanga rhizomes (AGR) and/or zinc sulfate in the diet on semen quality and reproductive traits of California rabbit bucks. The study was conducted in two stages. First stage: appreciation of semen characteristics, 36 California rabbit bucks (aged 5 months) with average body weights of 2980 g were divided randomly into six treatments (six individuals each). The treatment groups were: first group, control fed basal diet (C); second group, fed basal diet plus 1 g AGR/kg dry matter (DM) (AGR1); third group, fed basal diet plus 2 g AGR/kg DM (AGR2); fourth group, fed basal diet plus 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (Zn); fifth group, fed basal diet plus 1 g AGR/kg DM and 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (AGR1 + Zn); sixth group, fed basal diet plus 2 g AGR/kg DM and 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (AGR2 + Zn). Second stage: the previous bucks were used to determine the efficiency of semen on reproductive fertility traits, 48 mature does (aged 6 months, nulliparous) with an average body weight of 3050 ± 20.7 g were divided randomly into six treatments and inseminated with previous groups of treated bucks. The results of the first stage, recorded high activity on gonadotropins hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), free testosterone (FT), progesterone (P4) and oestrogen (E217β) concentrations for AGR1 + Zn and AGR2 + Zn compared with the control group. Groups AGR1, AGR2, AGR1 + Zn and AGR2 + Zn had significantly lowered concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and malondialdehyde (MDA), whereas high-density lipoprotein and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were increased significantly compared with the control group. The group supplemented with AGR with or without Zn had significantly improved ejaculate volume, advanced motility, sperm concentration, and cell integrity. Fertility rate and litter size were improved in all groups compared with the control. It was concluded that supplementing diets with Alpinia galanga and Zn significantly increased sperm percentage, motility and reproductive hormones (testosterone, FSH, LH, E217β, P4). This suggested that this plant when used may be favourable for improved sperm quality and fertility parameters.

The goal of this study was to determine the distribution of preantral follicles in bovine ovaries. Follicular distribution in the ovaries (n = 12) was evaluated in the region of the greater curvature of the ovary (GCO) and the region close to the ovarian pedicle (OP) of Bos taurus indicus heifers of the Nelore breed. Two fragments were obtained from each region of the ovary (GCO and OP). The mean weight of the ovaries was 4.04 ± 0.32 g. The mean antral follicle count (AFC) was 54.58 ± 3.55 follicles (minimum and maximum variation of 30 and 71 follicles, respectively). In total, 1123 follicles were visualized in the region of the GCO; 949 (84.5%) of them were primordial follicles and 174 (15.5%) were developing follicles. The region close to the OP contained 1454 follicles, of which 1266 (87%) were primordial follicles and 44 (12.9%) were developing follicles. The OP region showed a higher proportion of intact follicles in the primordial (P < 0.0001) and primary (P = 0.042) stages compared with the GCO region. The proportion of secondary follicles was similar in the OP and GCO regions. The ovaries of two bovine females (16%; 2/12) contained multi-oocytes follicles, which were characterized as primary follicles. Therefore, the distribution of preantral follicles in the bovine ovary was heterogeneous, with the region close to the OP containing a greater number of preantral follicles compared with the GCO region (P < 0.05).

Brazilian basslet Gramma brasiliensis is a fish highly appreciated by the marine ornamental industry. There is an increasing interest in the development of a breeding protocol for this species. However, descriptions of the reproductive biology, eggs and larval development are scarce. This study was the first to describe the spawning, eggs and larvae of G. brasiliensis in captivity, including mouth size information. Six spawning events produced egg masses with 27, 127, 600, 750, 850, and 950 eggs. Larger egg masses showed embryos with at least two different developmental stages. Eggs are spherical (∼1.0 mm diameter), held together by filaments entangling chorionic projections. Larvae with fewer than 12 hph (hours post-hatch) presented 3.55 mm standard-length, well developed eyes, fully absorbed yolk sac, an inflated swim bladder and mouth opened. Exogenous feeding on rotifers began within 12 hph. The average mouth width at first feeding was 0.38 mm. The first settled larva was noted by day 21. This information should help to determine appropriate diets and prey-shift time during the larviculture of the species.