Sheep oocyte activation after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

The effect of calcium concentration on fertilization and activation was examined in oocytes injected in vitro with sperm. Oocytes were subjected to sperm injection, to sham injection or remained uninjected, and were then cultured for 19 h in bicarbonate-buffered synthetic oviduct fluid (BSOF) without calcium, or containing either calcium chloride or calcium ionophore. There was no difference in fertilization rates after ICSI when oocytes were cultured in vitro in media containing calcium chloride or calcium ionophore but the rate was lower in calcium-free media. There was also no difference in the fertilization rate after ICSI when oocytes were cultured in vivo compared with that observed in vitro in media containing calcium chloride or calcium ionophore. In calcium chloride-treated oocytes, activation was induced by mechanical injection, and in calcium ionophore-treated oocytes, by the ionophore. In uninjected oocytes, calcium itself did not cause oocyte activation. It is concluded that it is possible to induce activation by the injection process, but that manipulation alone is inadequate to cause proper oocyte activation unless calcium is also present. No difference in oocyte activation between ICSI and sham injection was found, indicating that the sperm may play no role in the early events of oocyte activation.