Abstract
In vitro fertilization was performed by using gametes of diabetic obese mouse, C57BL/KsJ-dbm that is incapable of reproducing due to homozygous autosomal recessive diabetis(db). Newly ovulated eggs from db/db mice treated with 5 i.u. PMSG and 5 i.u. hCG were inseminated in vitro with spermatozoa recovered from the cauda epididymidis. At 6 hr after insemination, the oocytes were examined for the extrusion of 2nd polar body and the male and female pronucleus. The percentages of fertilized oocytes were 24%, 41%, 24% and 99% when oocytes were inseminated with db/db, adrenalectomized db/db(Adrex), db/+ and (C57BL/6J × C3H/HeN)F1 spermatozoa, re-spectively. The adrenalectomy could not make db/db males regain fertility but signifi-cantly increase in vitro fertilization rate. Number of abnormal spermatozoa in Adrex was significantly fewer than that of intact db/db. Only 28% of intact db/db and 39% of Adrex db/db cultured in the Whitten's medium containing lOOμM EDTA developed into the blastocyst stage 120 hr after insemination. As a result of the transfer of 2-cell embryos which were fertilized with Adrex spermatozoa, eleven newborn (F:M=3:8) were obtained. These results indicated that in vitro fertilization technique can be ap-plied for amelioration of defected reproductive ability in diabetic obese (db/db) mouse.
