Abstract

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) have revolutionized infertility treatment and animal breeding, but their success largely depends on selecting high-quality oocytes for fertilization and embryos for transfer. During preimplantation development, embryos undergo complex morphogenetic processes, such as compaction and cavitation, driven by cellular forces dependent on cytoskeletal dynamics and cell-cell interactions. These processes are pivotal in dictating an embryo's capacity to implant and progress to full-term development. Hence, a comprehensive grasp of the biomechanical attributes characterizing healthy oocytes and embryos is essential for selecting those with higher developmental potential. Various noninvasive techniques have emerged as valuable tools for assessing biomechanical properties without disturbing the oocyte or embryo physiological state, including morphokinetics, analysis of cytoplasmic movement velocity, or quantification of cortical tension and elasticity using microaspiration. By shedding light on the cytoskeletal processes involved in chromosome segregation, cytokinesis, cellular trafficking, and cell adhesion, underlying oogenesis, and embryonic development, this review explores the significance of embryo biomechanics in ART and its potential implications for improving clinical IVF outcomes, offering valuable insights and research directions to enhance oocyte and embryo selection procedures.

MeSH

Cells, Oocytes, Cytoskeleton

Cited by

• The Mammalian Oocyte: A Central Hub for Cellular Reprogramming and Stemness. Stem Cells Cloning, 2025
• Cracking the Code of Oocyte Quality: The Oxidative Stress Link to IVF Success. Int J Mol Sci, 2025
• Exosomal Communication Between Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes and Granulosa Cells: A New Molecular Axis for Oocyte Competence in Human-Assisted Reproduction. Int J Mol Sci, 2025