Abstract
Embryo transfer (ET) is a decisive step in the in vitro fertilization process. In most cases, the embryo is transferred to the uterus after several days of in vitro culture. Although studies have identified the beneficial effects of ET on proper embryo development in the earlier stages, this strategy is compromised by the necessity to transfer early embryos (zygotes) back to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus, which requires a more invasive, laparoscopic procedure, termed zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). Magnetic micromotors offer the possibility to mitigate such surgical interventions, as they have the potential to transport and deliver cellular cargo such as zygotes through the uterus and fallopian tube noninvasively, actuated by an externally applied rotating magnetic field. This study presents the capture, transport, and release of bovine and murine zygotes using two types of magnetic micropropellers, helix and spiral. Although helices represent an established micromotor architecture, spirals surpass them in terms of motion performance and with their ability to reliably capture and secure the cargo during both motion and transfer between different environments. Herein, this is demonstrated with murine oocytes/zygotes as the cargo; this is the first step toward the application of noninvasive, magnetic micromotor‐assisted ZIFT.
Highlights
Reproduction stands out as one of the essential qualities of life
Whereas micromotor-assisted sperm delivery could obviate embryo transfer (ET) or Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) altogether in cases where it could be applied in vivo instead of conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) to deal with sperm defects such as immotility, micromotor-assisted zygote delivery could be applied as alternative to conventional ZIFT to reimplant zygotes that were fertilized by IVF to the fallopian tube in a non-invasive manner (Fig. 1)
Assisted reproductive technology in particular is a field where magnetic micromotors can make a significant impact with their ability of untethered transport and delivery of microscopic cargo
Summary
Reproduction stands out as one of the essential qualities of life. For us as investigators, yet in the role of participants, reproduction can turn from comfortably easy to devastatingly difficult, e.g. in the case of pathological infertility. A prominent application of this concept in current research is the employment of micromotors as motile drug carriers that can deliver therapeutic substances to a specific target site in the body, i.e. targeted drug delivery, for example to treat tumors with much reduced side effects owing to the highly localized spreading of the drug, as compared with conventional chemotherapy [9]–[11] In infertility treatment, another case of localized delivery is in the focus, namely the delivery of the sperm cell to the oocyte for cell fusion. Whereas micromotor-assisted sperm delivery could obviate ET or ZIFT altogether in cases where it could be applied in vivo instead of conventional IVF to deal with sperm defects such as immotility, micromotor-assisted zygote delivery could be applied as alternative to conventional ZIFT to reimplant zygotes that were fertilized by IVF to the fallopian tube in a non-invasive manner (Fig. 1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
