EFFECT OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS CO CULTURE ON EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT AND BLASTOCYST FORMATION FOLLOWING INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI)

Abstract

In Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), the microbiological environment of embryo culture systems has become more interesting as microbial metabolites and host-microbe interactions could affect the growth and implanting potential of embryos. In the present study, the effect of Staphylococcus aureus co-culture on embryo development following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was evaluated. Retrieved oocytes from infertile patients undergoing ART treatment were subjected to ICSI procedures they are cultured in standard culture media till on day 2 and on day 2 (i.e 2 cell or 4 cell) they are subsequently divided into two groups: embryos cultured in standard culture medium without bacterial supplementation (control group) and embryos cultured in medium containing S. aureus (test group). On day 4 and 5 in culture, the cleavage rate, embryo morphology, developmental progression and formation of blastocysts were evaluated. Its adverse effect on embryo was absent and it was observed that co-culture with S. aureus was inducing better embryonic progression and better blastocyst formation when compared to the control when it comes to embryos. Further studies would need to be conducted to confirm this. Based on the findings, it is hypothesized that metabolites or growth promoting factors produced by the microbes of S. aureus could have a beneficial effect on the cell activity and on the developmental competence of the embryos. The potential mechanisms behind these findings, however, will need more molecular study to prove safety, reproducibility and clinical applicability. This study demonstrates the growing relevance of microbiome-associated reproductive biology and offers preliminary results of microbial involvement in embryo culture conditions of ART laboratories.