Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on November 30, 2006
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/del447
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
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Metabolism of human embryos following cryopreservation: Implications for the safety and selection of embryos for transfer in clinical IVF
1 Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK 2 Assisted Conception Unit, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK 3 Reproduction and Early Development Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 4 Current address: Human Genetics Division, University of Southampton, Duthie Building, Mailpoint 808, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
5 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Human Genetics Division, University of Southampton, Duthie Building (Mailpoint 808), Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. E-mail: fdh1{at}soton.ac.uk
BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation of supernumerary embryos is routinely performed in human-assisted reproduction, providing a source of embryos which can be thawed for use in subsequent treatment cycles. However, the viability of cryopreserved embryos has traditionally relied on morphological assessment, which is a poor predictor of embryo health since freezing leads to a significant overall reduction in implantation potential, and its long-term efficacy is unknown. This study describes how the post-thaw metabolism of human embryos can be used to predict future development to the blastocyst stage.
METHODS: HPLC was used to analyse the post-thaw amino acid metabolism of human embryos from day 2 to day 3 of development.
RESULTS: It was possible to predict with 87% accuracy which frozen–thawed embryo would develop to the blastocyst stage. Developmentally competent embryos were more metabolically quiescent than their arresting counterparts. Amino acid turnover was also capable of distinguishing between the developmental potential of the best, Grade I embryos P<0.05.
CONCLUSIONS: The data suggests that cryopreservation in IVF is a safe procedure and that amino acid turnover can be used to select which cryopreserved embryo will develop to the blastocyst stage, irrespective of their post-thaw grade.
Key words: amino acid turnover/cryopreservation/developmental competency/embryo viability
F.D.H. and H.J.L. are shareholders in Novocellus, a company which is developing embryo culture and diagnostic systems for use in clinical IVF. Data in this article have been protected by patent no. GB 0601746.1.
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