Extended embryo culture supplementation

Abstract

This chapter reviews the recent knowledge regarding the role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species on reproductive physiology. We also focus on the strategies that researches have considered to neutralize the oxidative stress that develops in parallel to the in vitro culture and cryopreservation. Basic studies using mammalian oocytes have been designed to investigate the benefits of the use of antioxidants during in vitro culture, and this chapter summarizes the most important findings regarding the supplementation of culture media to minimize the harmful effects of oxidative stress. However, an intense line of investigation is required to transfer the recent knowledge to the particular conditions of the human embryo, to ensure high rates of successful IVF cycles.