THE EFFECT OF PROPOFOL ON PARTHENOGENETIC ACTIVATION, IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF MOUSE OOCYTES

Objective: To assess the effect of propofol on fertilization and early embryo development in a mouse IVF model. Design: Controlled study. Se tting: Mouse IVF. Intervention(s): Mouse oocytes were exposed in vitro to propofol at a concentration of 0 (control), 50, 250, 500, 1,000, o r 5,000 ng/mL for 30 minutes, washed, and inseminated. Thereafter, fer tilization was assessed. Subsequent in vitro development to the blasto cyst stage was monitored daily. The potential to activate parthenogene tically oocytes also was evaluated by looking for spontaneous extrusio n of the second polar body or development to the two-cell stage. In a second step, a pure propofol solution was added to culture medium and used as a standard. Main Outcome Measure(s): Two-cell and blastocyst s tage embryo. Result(s): Where fertilization occurred, subsequent embry o cleavage and development up to the blastocyst stage was affected sig nificantly by the presence of propofol solution in the medium, (i.e., 3% to 41%) in comparison with the control group (76%). Exposure of unf ertilized oocytes for 30 minutes to propofol results in a parthenogene tic activation of 33% to 60%, which was significantly higher than the control (10%). When oocytes were kept in propofol for 24 hours, a mean of 30% of activation was observed as compared with 0.5% for the contr ol. Conclusion(s): We can conclude from these experiments that even a brief exposure of cumulus-enclosed oocytes to a low concentration of p ropofol is deleterious to subsequent cleavage. Exposure of unfertilize d oocytes to propofol results in a high degree of parthenogenetic acti vation. (C) 1997 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.