Progress in Enucleated Oocyte Donation and Its Clinical Application

doi:10.12280/gjszjk.20250190

Abstract

Abstract:

The technology of enucleated oocyte donation (EOD), also known as mitochondria donation, aims to transfer the nuclear genetic material of the patient′s oocytes or fertilized eggs into the cytoplasm of healthy enucleated donor oocytes, in order to block the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations to offspring or solve the problem of embryonic development arrest caused by cytoplasmic factors. EOD technology mainly includes pronuclear transfer (PNT), polar body transfer (PBT), and spindle-chromosome complex transfer (ST). Both PNT and ST have successfully helped female carriers of mtDNA mutations and women with repeated in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer failures to achieve clinical pregnancy. However, some offspring still carry a small amount of mtDNA mutations, and even have an increased proportion of residual mtDNA mutations. The first polar body transfer (PB1T) has also been used to obtain the mutant free reconstructed blastocysts in women with mtDNA mutations. EOD technology still faces multiple challenges: there is a risk of fertilized egg damage in medicine, ethical controversies focus on the status of donors in the three parent structure and their impact on offspring, safety concerns involve compatibility issues between mitochondria and cell nuclei, and genetic risks of mutated mtDNA. Regulatory authorities need to prevent clinical abuse and the lack of informed consent.

Key words: DNA, mitochondrial, Infertility, female, Fertilization in vitro, Embryo transfer, Enucleated oocyte donation

YANG Jing, JI Dong-mei. Progress in Enucleated Oocyte Donation and Its Clinical Application[J]. Journal of International Reproductive Health/Family Planning, 2025, 44(6): 496-500.

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