Effects of glutathione (GSH and GSSG) and glutathione reductase (GR) on zona-free hamster oocyte ability to decondense human sperm.

Effects of reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), or glutathione reductase (GR) supply were studied on the ability of hamster oocytes to be fertilized by human sperm. Zona-free oocytes were pretreated with these compounds prior to sperm insemination. Oocyte pretreatment with high concentrations of GSH or GSSG (50 or 100 mM, 30 min) significantly increased the penetrated oocyte rate (PR). Polyspermy was not increased except when high concentrations of GSH (100 mM) were used. Incubation of oocytes with GR (1 or 10 IU/ml) prior to sperm insemination induced increasing dose-dependent PR. Polyspermy increased significantly with 10 mM GR in oocyte incubation medium. Oocyte incubation for 30 min with the sulfhydryl blocking agent iodoacetamide (1 mM) led to a drastic decrease in oocyte penetration and in polyspermy. Our results demonstrate an original way to increase the efficacy of human-hamster heterospecific fertilization. Various hypotheses are discussed explaining these observations which open new investigations for heterospecific and homospecific in vitro fertilization.