Fertilization by Sperm Microinjection and Zona Drilling: Applications in the Basic and Clinical Sciences

摘要

Experimental manipulation of fertilization provides an exciting research approach for studying mechanisms involved in sperm/egg interaction and holds great promise as a means for overcoming some forms of human infertility. The report will focus on three methods for assisted fertilization: (1) micro-injection of a spermatozoon (or sperm nucleus) directly into the ooplasm; (2) injection of motile sperm through the zona pellucida and into the perivitelline space (PVS); and (3) zona-drilling or the creation of a channel in the zona pellucida through which sperm may contact the oocyte membrane directly. The use of these methods to address a variety of questions in gamete and developmental biology, as well as to initiate embryonic development in animals and humans, will be reviewed.