Reveal the spectacular moment of embryo formation

The researchers found countless bright spots that flashed brightly at the time when sperm met eggs, creating new life.

American researchers have developed a special technique to record the moment of fertilization and discovered that billions of zinc atoms have been released at that moment. They said the finding could provide crucial information for the treatment of infertility and infertility in the world.

According to a research report in Nature Chemistry, a team of experts from many fields, led by scientists from the Northwestern University of America, are the first to capture the image of the "fireworks explosion." molecule " mentioned above. They also determined that this phenomenon stems from tiny, zinc-filled packages just below the surface of the egg.

"The amount of zinc released by an egg can be a great sign, helping to identify a high quality fertilized egg - something we still can't do. If we can identify The best egg, there will be fewer embryos that need to be cultivated during the treatment of infertility - infertility. Our findings will help us reach this goal " , ovarian biologist Teresa Woodruff emphasize.

Quantitative changes in zinc play a key role in coordinating biochemical processes that ensure healthy egg processes are converted into embryos. Therefore, new quantitative information will be useful for improving artificial insemination methods in vitro.

After inventing a zinc-illuminated sensor in living cells, scientists discovered nearly 8,000 separate compartments in the egg, each containing approximately 1 million zinc atoms. These packages release zinc atoms at the same time, similar to how neurotransmitters are released in the brain or insulin release process in the pancreas.

The team observed that, at the time of fertilization, the egg released thousands of parcels containing zinc atoms and remained silent. Then there was a new release of zinc. On average, each egg produces about 4 - 5 such bursts of zinc fireworks.

Experts say that zinc release cycles are essential for embryo formation within 2 hours following fertilization.

They are currently trying to find out whether zinc-quality overexpression is possible, as the information obtained will be the key to improving infertility treatments - infertility.