The influence of reduced glutathione in fertilization medium on the fertility of in vitro–matured C57BL/6 mouse oocytes

It is well known that IVM oocytes show a decreased potential for fertility and development compared with in vivo–matured oocytes. In this study, we added reduced glutathione (GSH) to the fertilization medium during IVF to investigate its effect on the fertility and early embryo development of IVM oocytes. The fertilization rate for IVM oocytes and fresh sperm increased with the addition of GSH (0, 1.0, and 2.0 mM: 51%, 76%, and 70%). Moreover, the addition of GSH to the fertilization medium also improved the developmental potential compared with the control sample (0 mM). In addition, we performed IVF using IVM oocytes and frozen/thawed sperm that had been cryopreserved in a mouse bank. Results indicated a marked increase in the fertilization rate when 1.0 mM GSH was added to the fertilization medium compared with when no GSM was used (0.0 mM GSH: 2% (3/195); 1.0 mM GSH: 33% (156/468)). Furthermore, the fertilization rate improved dramatically via zona drilling using laser equipment (52%: 267/516), whereas normal offspring were obtainsed after transferring embryos created via IVF using IVM oocytes and frozen/thawed sperm. This is the first report in which offspring have been obtained via IVF using IVM oocytes and frozen/thawed sperm.