Abstract
The hydraulic conductivity ( L p) of the plasma membrane determines how cells respond to the stresses of dehydration encountered during cryopreservation. We have used a microscope diffusion chamber which allows for direct real-time observation of the dynamic osmotic response of individual cells in microvolume suspension to compare the L p of murine and human unfertilized ova. In this system, the response of an individual cell to the induced osmotic imbalance is documented via a series of photomicrographs or videotape; from these data the L p can be computed. Donated human preovulatory oocytes were compared with macroscopically normal human ova, 43 hr after insemination, which had failed to fertilize (Ff) and with murine ova collected 13 hr post human chorionic gonadotropin injection. The permeability coefficients were 0.65 ± 0.43, 0.84 ± 0.39, and 0.36 ± 0.07 (μm 3/μm 2/atm/min. The results suggest that it may be possible to use Ff ova for experiments to design suitable cryopreservation procedures.
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