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| Credit: nydailynews.com |
"Perfect oil for IVF should do nothing but protect the culture. It should not have any negative influence on the gametes, embryos or media by adding unwanted or removing necessary components. However not all oils are or act the same. In this blog post I will guide you through different types of oil and things to consider when choosing oil for your IVF culture.
Oil for protection - a stroke of genius
The use of oil to protect the sensitive gametes and embryos was introduced long before IVF became a routine treatment. One of the first known applications was in a study of the impact of virus on mouse embryos1, back in the 1960´s. It was a stroke of genius as covering a water-based media with inert oil will protect the culture from evaporation and contamination, yet it allows for direct access to the cultured cells through the oil.
What types of oils exist and how do they differ?
Oil is a term that only specifies that the substance is a non-polar and viscous liquid. It may have been produced from animal or plant materials, it can come from crude oil (often named mineral oil) or it can be synthetic. The two main types of synthetic oil are silicon oil and poly alpha olefin (PAO) oil.
Plant or animal derived oils are most of the time composed of triglycerides. This means that three hydrophobic carbohydrate chains are linked as esters to a hydrophilic molecule of glycerol. They are often not completely saturated, i.e. they contain double bonds, making them sensitive to oxidation. The oxidation does in turn make the oil rancid, a process where toxic groups such as peroxides or aldehydes are formed in the oil structure. Natural oils are to my knowledge not used in IVF, but if they are sufficiently refined and fresh, then they should be useful..."
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