Evaluation of embryo quality after concurrent use of ovarian stimulating hormones and gamma irradiation

Radiotherapy has many side effects on fertilization in young women. Radiation can lead to ovarian failure in women who underwent abdomen or pelvic radiotherapy.

This study helps us to investigate ovarian response of NMRI female mice to ovarian stimulating hormones (PMSG, HCG) after whole-body gamma irradiation.

45 pregnant mice were divided into two groups of control and experimental. The experimental group was classified into three sub-groups: Irradiation group (2 or 4Gy),Superovulation group (10 or 15IU),and superovulation and gamma-radiation group (2Gy & 10IU, 2Gy & 15IU, 4Gy & 10IU,4Gy & 15IU). Female mice were killed and embryos were removed from oviduct. The number of embryos cells counted and the quality of them was evaluated in each group. Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data.

There was a significant difference in the number of 2-4 cells grade D embryos in 2Gy & 15IU group compared with control and 2Gy groups (p=0.01), and the number of embryos in 4Gy group was more than in 10IU and 15IU (p=0.03) and 2Gy & 15IU groups (p=0.01). It was more significantly embryos in 4Gy & 15IU group compared to 2Gy & 15IU group (p=0.01).In addition There were no significant differences in the number of 2-4 cells grades A, B and C embryos and also number of 4-8 cells grades A, B and C, D embryos in groups.

The concurrent use of ovulation stimulating hormones and gamma rays ameliorates this problem of drastic decrease in number of living embryos due to whole-body irradiation.