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Home / Equine Research Bank / Anim Reprod Sci / Past, present and future of ICSI in livestock species.
Animal reproduction science2022; 246; 106925; doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.106925

Past, present and future of ICSI in livestock species.

Abstract: During the past 2 decades, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has become a routine technique for clinical applications in humans. The widespread use among domestic species, however, has been limited to horses. In horses, ICSI is used to reproduce elite individuals and, as well as in humans, to mitigate or even circumvent reproductive barriers. Failures in superovulation and conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) have been the main reason for the use of this technology in horses. In pigs, ICSI has been successfully used to produce transgenic animals. A series of factors have resulted in implementation of ICSI in pigs: need to use zygotes for numerous technologies, complexity of collecting zygotes surgically, and problems of polyspermy when there is utilization of IVF procedures. Nevertheless, there have been very few additional reports confirming positive results with the use of ICSI in pigs. The ICSI procedure could be important for use in cattle of high genetic value by maximizing semen utilization, as well as for utilization of spermatozoa from prepubertal bulls, by providing the opportunity to shorten the generation interval. When attempting to utilize ICSI in ruminants, there are some biological limitations that need to be overcome if this procedure is going to be efficacious for making genetic improvements in livestock in the future. In this review article, there is an overview and projection of the methodologies and applications that are envisioned for ICSI utilization in these species in the future.
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2022-01-19 PubMed ID: 35148927DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.106925Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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The research paper discusses the utilization of the Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) method in livestock and the potential challenges and benefits associated with this reproductive approach. It draws on past and present uses, exploring its potential future in livestock species, particularly horses, pigs, and cattle.

ICSI in Livestock: An Overview

  • The paper highlights Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) as a technique mainly used in human fertility treatments but has also found its place in the livestock industry, especially in horses.
  • During ICSI, a single sperm cell is directly injected into the egg, facilitating fertilization. This technique is particularly useful when there are issues with superovulation or conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF).
  • In horses, ICSI is frequently used to breed elite horses and overcome reproductive challenges. For example, it can be employed to bypass issues with superovulation and standard IVF techniques.

ICSI in Pigs

  • ICSI has also been utilized successfully in pigs, specifically for the production of transgenic animals (those genetically modified).
  • However, the adoption of ICSI in pigs has been due to various factors, such as the requirement for a large number of zygotes, complexities in surgically collecting zygotes, and issues with polyspermy (more than one sperm fertilizing an egg) in IVF procedures.
  • The paper notes a lack of ample evidence or sister research validating the positive results of using ICSI in pigs.

ICSI in Cattle

  • For cattle, the use of ICSI could be a strategy to optimize semen utilization, especially among high-value bovine genetics.
  • It could also serve as a potential solution for using the spermatozoa from prepubertal bulls, thus accelerating the generation turnover.
  • Nevertheless, the application of ICSI in ruminants like cattle comes with unique biological challenges that need to be addressed for the procedure to genuinely benefit livestock genetic advancement.

Conclusion and Future Projections

  • The paper concludes by summarizing the current state of ICSI utilization in livestock, asserting that despite its proven value, especially in horse breeding, its full potential remains much unexplored.
  • Outlined as well are future directions for research into the method’s application, pointing to the need to tackle biological hurdles before ICSI can become a more universally adopted technique in livestock reproduction and genetic improvement.

Cite This Article

APA
Briski O, Salamone DF. (2022). Past, present and future of ICSI in livestock species. Anim Reprod Sci, 246, 106925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.106925

Publication

Animal reproduction science
ISSN: 1873-2232
NlmUniqueID: 7807205
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 246
Pages: 106925

Researcher Affiliations

Briski, O
  • Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Departamento de Producción Animal, Buenos Aires, Laboratorio Biotecnología Animal (LabBA), Av. San Martin 4453, Ciudad Autónoma de, Buenos Aires 1417, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Salamone, D F
  • Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Departamento de Producción Animal, Buenos Aires, Laboratorio Biotecnología Animal (LabBA), Av. San Martin 4453, Ciudad Autónoma de, Buenos Aires 1417, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Animal (INPA), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: salamone@agro.uba.ar.

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Female
  • Male
  • Cattle
  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Swine
  • Livestock
  • Semen
  • Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / veterinary
  • Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / methods
  • Fertilization in Vitro / veterinary
  • Spermatozoa
  • Ruminants

Conflict of Interest Statement

Conflict of interest The authors report no declarations of interest.

Citations

This article has been cited 11 times.
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