Erschienen in:
Journal of Pineal Research, 28 (2000) 1, Seite 48-51
Sprache:
Englisch
DOI:
10.1034/j.1600-079x.2000.280107.x
ISSN:
1600-079X;
0742-3098
Entstehung:
Anmerkungen:
Beschreibung:
To examine the effect of melatonin on in vitro fertilization and embryonic development, mouse embryos after insemination in vitro were cultured in a physiological medium with or without melatonin. Melatonin increased the fertilization rate significantly at a concentration between 10−6 and 10−4 M (27.6 vs. 43.9 or 40.4%, P<0.01). Furthermore, a significant increase in the rate of embryos reaching the four‐cell stage (16.0 vs. 26.7%, P<0.01), the eight‐cell stage (12.1 vs. 25.8 or 23.5%, P<0.01), and blastulation (8.9 vs. 23.5 or 17.5%, P<0.01) was observed when the embryos were cultured in a medium containing 10−8 or 10−6 M melatonin. These results demonstrate that melatonin supports fertilization and early embryo development after in vitro fertilization.