HUMAN FALLOPIAN-TUBE EPITHELIAL-CELL COCULTURE INCREASES FERTILIZATION RATES IN MALE FACTOR INFERTILITY BUT NOT IN TUBAL OR UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY

In order to investigate the effect of human Fallopian tube epithelial cell co-culture on fertilization and cleavage rates in tubal, male and unexplained infertility, oocytes collected from 91 patients were rand omized to wells containing Fallopian tube epithelial cell monolayers o r conventional culture medium, and inseminated with spermatozoa. Ferti lization and cleavage were assessed at 18 and 52 h, respectively. Co-c ulture significantly increased the fertilization rates over the contro l values in male infertility (41.67 versus 23.43%, P = 0.00005), but n ot in tubal infertility (69.33 versus 67.93%) or unexplained infertili ty (65.93 versus 54.36%). Cleavage rates were not different in cocultu re and conventional in-vitro fertilization systems in any of the infer tility subgroups. The number of blastomeres was significantly higher i n the co-culture group on the day of embryo transfer (3.63 +/- 1.12 ve rsus 3.04 +/- 1.26, P < 0.001). Pregnancy rates were similar in all in fertility subgroups. There was no significant association between the number of co-cultured embryos transferred and the pregnancy, abortion and multiple pregnancy rates. It was concluded that human Fallopian tu be epithelial cell coculture clearly improves fertilization rates in m ale infertility but not in tubal or unexplained infertility. Improved fertilization rates in co-culture may be due to positive effect of co- culture on impaired sperm function.