水牛分离精子与不同来源卵母细胞体外受精的效果研究

本研究的目的是探讨水牛分离精子与不同来源(活体采卵或屠宰场卵巢采卵)卵母细胞体外受精的效果。活体采卵是选用20头空怀河流型母水牛(其中摩拉母牛12头,尼里-拉菲母水牛8头)每间隔3 d采卵1次,连续采卵5~6周,活体采集卵母细胞;屠宰场卵巢采卵是收集屠宰场水牛卵巢,用10 mL注射器连接18 G针头吸取水牛卵巢上可视的卵泡来收集卵母细胞。将收集的AB级水牛卵母细胞在相同的条件下进行体外成熟、然后用分离或未分离精子进行体外受精以及体外培养至囊胚。结果发现:活体采卵组和屠宰场收集的水牛卵母细胞组用分离精子受精分裂率和囊胚率没有差异(P>0.05);分离精子和未分离精子的体外受精分裂率和囊胚率也没有差异(P>0.05)。由此说明,水牛分离精子可以用于体外生产性控胚胎。     

Evaluation of epididymis storage temperature and cryopreservation conditions for improved mitochondrial membrane potential,membrane integrity,sperm motility and in vitro fertilization in bovine epididymal sperm

The maintaining of the epididymis at lower temperatures during storage and transport improves sperm quality. Our study aimed to test whether epididymis storage temperature (post‐mortem) and sperm cryopreservation affect sperm kinetics, membrane integrity, mitochondrial potential and fertility capacity. Thirty‐six epididymides were collected from 18 bulls after slaughter and divided into two groups: at 4 or 34°C for 2–3 hr. The sperm was collected from the epididymis cauda. The evaluation consisted of computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA), SYBR14/PI/JC1 to evaluate membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and measurement of lipid peroxidation (TBARS). The sperm was then frozen using an automatic device. After thawing, sperm samples were evaluated by the same variables and further in vitro fertilization rates. Cryopreservation negatively affected sperm motility in samples stored at 4 and 34°C. Nevertheless, the 4°C samples yielded higher rates of blastocyst formation. Pre‐freeze sperm motility, progressive motility and velocity were higher in sperm from epididymis stored at 4°C while post‐thaw sperm motility, progressive motility and velocity remained the same among samples from epididymis stored at 4 or 34°C. However, with regard to the kinetic patterns, samples collected from epididymis stored at 34°C had lower values when compared to those stored at 4°C prior the cryopreservation process. Our results indicate that epididymis handling conditions after cryopreservation may affect sperm quality after thawing, especially due to compromised MMP in sperm collected from epididymis stored at higher temperatures.     

氨基酸、维生素对水牛体外受精胚胎体外发育的影响

通过在培养液中添加不同浓度的氨基酸或维生素,探讨其对水牛体外受精(IVF)胚胎体外发育的影响.结果表明:(1)非必需氨基酸可显著提高水牛卵母细胞IVF后胚胎的分裂率,但对囊胚发育率无显著影响;(2)低浓度的必需氨基酸对水牛IVF胚胎的发育具有一定促进作用,但高浓度则有抑制作用;(3)维生素对水牛IVF胚胎发育则有促进作用.在培养液中添加维生素,水牛IVF胚胎的分裂率和第7天囊胚发育率显著提高.     

Effect of pterostilbene on development,equatorial lipid accumulation and reactive oxygen species production of in vitro-produced bovine embryos

The pterostilbene (PT) molecule is a phytoalexin with a reducing effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and with a capacity to block lipogenesis. However, the potential reducing effects of PT on equatorial lipid accumulation and ROS have not yet been elucidated for in vitro-derived bovine embryos. The present study evaluated the effects of concentrations of 3, 1, 0.33, 0.11 μM PT, and a vehicle group on the percentage of cleaved embryos, embryos with more than 6 cells, percentage of blastocyst on Day 7 and 8, percentage of transferable embryos on Day 7, the cell count and relative concentration of lipids. In the second experiment, the effects of 0.33 μM PT and a vehicle group within two different O₂ environments (5% and 20%) were evaluated for ROS generation and the percentage of Day 8 blastocysts. In the first experiment, no significant differences were found between the treatments with PT and the vehicle group (p > .05) concerning the percentage of cleaved embryos and embryos with more than 6 cells. Lipid reduction was observed in the groups treated with PT versus the vehicle group (p < .05). The vehicle group showed a higher rate of blastocyst production on Days 7 and 8 (p < .05) and an increase in the percentage of transferable embryos on Day 7 compared to the PT treatment groups (p < .05). Cell counts were not significantly different between treatments with PT and the vehicle group (p > .05). In the second experiment, the O₂ concentration did not significantly affect ROS generation (p > .05); however, the groups treated with PT (0.33 μM) had a reduction in ROS (p < .05). The O₂ concentration also did not significantly affect the rate of blastocyst production on Day 8 (p = .7696). Future research should be conducted to ascertain whether the reduction of lipids could enhance the cryopreservation and post-thaw viability of PT-treated embryos.     

牛胚胎体外生产与早期胚胎发育的探讨

试验对牛胚胎体外生产技术中的体外受精液、精卵共育时间、血清和培乔液等影响早期胚胎体外发育的因素进行了研究。以BO（Brackett ＆ Oliphant）和BM（BO：成熟培养液=3：2）作为受精液，受精卵的囊胚发育率分别为26．0％和15．0％；精卵共育时间以9-12h为宜；受精卵在含血清FBS或OCS培养液中的专胚发育率分别为26．4％或29．9％，明显高于在无血清培养基中的囊胚发育率（10．3％）；TCMl99、mBECMaa、mSOFaa3种胚胎培养液均能支持受精卵的体外发育，在其中培养受精卵囊胚发育率分别为18．O％、30．7％和29．2％。试验结果表明：精卵于BM受精液中共育9～12h后，将假定受精卵置于添加5％OCS的mBECMaa或mSOFaa培养液中培养，能显著提高体外生产胚胎的囊胚发育率。     

秋水仙胺对电融合方法体外制备牛四倍体胚胎的影响

通过添加秋水仙胺从而改善电融合方法体外制备牛四倍体胚胎的过程。首先检测牛早期胚胎的分裂时间,并由此确定于体外受精后26~30h时间段内挑选既同期化且优质的2细胞期胚胎用于电融合。电融合参数选取2次直流电压为0.75kV/Cm且脉冲时间60μs。并通过免疫荧光染色监测电融合后细胞核的重组过程。设立电融合对照组和电融合秋水仙胺处理组,处理组在电融合后随即处理0.05mg/L秋水仙胺6h,后彻底洗涤继续体外培养至囊胚期。处理组的融合率（84.4%vs 84.8%）、分裂率（74.3%vs 77.6%）和囊胚率（36.1%vs 39.4%）皆低于对照组,但差异均不显著。获取的囊胚期胚胎的核型分析结果显示,处理组的四倍体制备率显著高于对照组（59.4%vs 26.9%）。综上所述,对电融合后的胚胎处理0.05mg/L秋水仙胺6h显著提高了牛四倍体电融合方法体外制的备率。     

Addition of D-penicillamine,hypotaurine, and epinephrine (PHE) mixture to IVF medium maintains motility and longevity of bovine sperm and enhances stable production of blastocysts in vitro

The present study aimed to establish an efficient system for bovine embryo production by in vitro fertilization (IVF) that can achieve stable normal fertilization and blastocyst developmental rates in any bull without optimization of the sperm concentration in IVF medium. We examined the effects of a PHE mixture (20 μM D-penicillamine, 10 μM hypotaurine and 1 μM epinephrine), theophylline (2.5 mM), and sperm concentration (1, 2 or 5 × 10⁶ cells/ml) on fertilization and blastocyst developmental rates. High cleavage rates (78.3 to 92.4%) and blastocyst developmental rates (31.9 to 62.0%) at day 7 were obtained in the presence of PHE and theophylline in IVF medium with a sperm concentration of 2 × 10⁶ cells/ml using sperm from 9 bulls. In addition, the synergistic effect of PHE and theophylline on normal fertilization (2 pronuclei) was clarified at 12 h after IVF with a sperm concentration of 1 × 10⁶ cells/ml. Moreover, high linearity, high flagellar beat cross frequency, and low amplitude of lateral head of motile sperm were found by computer-assisted sperm analysis. In conclusion, the combination of the PHE mixture and theophylline synergistically accelerates sperm motility and sperm penetration of bovine oocytes. Theophylline activates sperm motility with increasing intracellular cAMP. However, PHE prevents an excessive increase of cAMP and maintains sperm motility without hyperactivation. When the combination of PHE and theophylline is added to IVF medium at a sperm concentration of 2 × 10⁶ cells/ml, we can achieve stable normal fertilization and blastocyst development in any bull.     

Comparative evaluation of DNA integrity using sperm chromatin structure assay and Sperm‐Ovis‐Halomax during in vitro capacitation of cryopreserved ram spermatozoa

This study aimed to compare the ability of sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA^®) and Sperm‐Ovis‐Halomax^® to detect DNA fragmentation in frozen‐thawed ram spermatozoa incubated under capacitating conditions in synthetic oviductal fluid (SOF) supplemented with oestrous sheep serum (SOF‐ESS) at multiple time points (0–240 min). Incubation in SOF‐ESS had no significant effects on SCSA^® parameters while the percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA measured by Sperm‐Ovis‐Halomax^® increased after 180 min of incubation. In addition, no correlation or agreement was found between the techniques, suggesting that SCSA^® and Sperm‐Ovis‐Halomax^® may quantify different types of DNA damage in ram spermatozoa under these experimental conditions.     

In vitro development of OPU‐derived bovine embryos cultured either individually or in groups with the silk protein sericin and the viability of frozen‐thawed embryos after transfer

The optimization of single‐embryo culture conditions is very important, particularly in the in vitro production of bovine embryos using the ovum pick‐up (OPU) procedure. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of embryos derived from oocytes obtained by OPU that were cultured either individually or in groups in medium supplemented with or without sericin and to investigate the viability of the frozen‐thawed embryos after a direct transfer. When two‐cell‐stage embryos were cultured either individually or in groups for 7 days in CR1aa medium supplemented with or without 0.5% sericin, the rates of development to blastocysts and freezable blastocysts were significantly lower for the embryos cultured individually without sericin than for the embryos cultured in groups with or without sericin. Moreover, the rate of development to freezable blastocysts of the embryos cultured individually with sericin was significantly higher than that of the embryos cultured without sericin. When the frozen‐thawed embryos were transferred directly to recipients, the rates of pregnancy, abortion, stillbirth and normal calving in the recipients were similar among the groups, irrespective of the culture conditions and sericin supplementation. Our findings indicate that supplementation with sericin during embryo culture improves the quality of the embryos cultured individually but not the viability of the frozen‐thawed embryos after transfer to recipients.     

肝素和钙离子载体诱导波尔山羊精子体外获能和体外受精

运用肝素、钙离子载体（IA）协同咖啡因诱导波尔山羊精子体外获能，利用去透明带金黄地鼠卵穿透试验检测了精子的获能效果。结果发现：精卵孵育4h和6h时的穿透率均高于2h时的穿透率；肝素和钙离子载体对精子获能有明显的促进作用，与未添加组相比差异极显著（P〈0．01）；20mg／L和50mg／L的肝素剂量组，去透明带金黄地鼠卵穿透率为64．7％、68．4％；钙离子载体的添加剂量在0．3μmol／L时，穿透率达到68．2％；咖啡因与肝素、钙离子载体具有明显的协同作用。将获能的精子与山羊卵母细胞进行体外受精孵育17h，也获得了60％以上的受精率。     

Selection based on morphological features of porcine embryos produced by in vitro fertilization: Timing of early cleavages and the effect of polyspermy

The aim of this study was to examine whether a morphological approach is efficient for selecting high‐quality porcine embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) under high polyspermy conditions. Frozen‐thawed Meishan epididymal spermatozoa showing moderate and high polyspermy were subjected to IVF (1 × 10⁵ sperms/ml). Under conditions of moderate polyspermy, 4‐cell embryos selected at 48 hr after IVF (single selection) and 8‐cell embryos selected at 79 hr after IVF from the collected 4‐cell embryos (double selection) showed high developmental competence. Likewise, 4‐ and 8‐cell embryos produced by IVF under high polyspermy conditions also showed high competence for development to blastocysts. However, blastocysts derived from high polyspermy conditions had significantly fewer cells than those produced under moderate polyspermy conditions. Furthermore, the frequency of nuclear and chromosomal abnormalities in 4‐ and 8‐cell embryos produced under conditions of high polyspermy was significantly (p < .05) higher in comparison to moderate polyspermy conditions. These findings suggest that although high polyspermy affects the frequency of nuclear and chromosomal anomalies in porcine IVF embryos, subsequent selection based on morphological features of 4‐ and 8‐cell embryos even under high polyspermy conditions, could be an alternative option for selecting porcine IVF embryos with high development ability.     

肝素或钙离子载体诱导牛、羊冻精体外获能的研究

本文采用肝素或钙离子载体(I-A)诱导牛、羊冻精体外获能,根据对去透明带仓鼠卵的穿透情况评定获能效果,并用台盼蓝·姬姆萨(TG)染色观察了精子的死活及顶体状态.结果发现,牛、羊冻精经肝素或I-A处理后与卵子一起培养,2 h穿透仓鼠卵,4 h开始形成雄原核,6 h形成发育良好的雄原核.牛冻精用50μg/mL肝素及0.1μmol/L I-A处理效果最好,穿透率分别为72.8％和92.3％;羊则以20μg/mL肝素及0.3μmol/L I-A为宜,穿透率分别为73.1％和68.O％.咖啡因与I-A或肝素并用均有协同作用,能提高精子的穿透能力,并能促进卵内原核的发育.肝素和I-A均能在体外诱导牛、羊冻精的顶体反应,有顶体反应活精子百分率与穿透率呈强正相关,羊冻精比较脆弱,获能处理后活力较低.     

Effects of glutathione treatments during sperm washing and in vitro fertilization on the in vitro early development of embryos of Japanese Black cattle

This study was conducted to examine the effects of adding glutathione (1 mM) to media used for sperm washing and in vitro fertilization (IVF) on the improvement of early development of embryos produced using cryopreserved spermatozoa of the less IVF-competent bull (the one considered unqualified as spermatozoa supplier for the production of bovine blastocysts using IVF). The cryopreserved spermatozoa of this bull were characterized by normal motility and lower ATP content and blastocyst productivity than those of IVF-competent bulls. The addition of glutathione to the sperm washing medium was more effective in improving the productivity of blastocysts and ATP content than the addition of glutathione to the IVF medium or no glutathione addition at all (control). These results suggest that this simple method may be used to improve the potential of cryopreserved spermatozoa of less IVF-competent bulls to fertilize oocytes in vitro and to induce normal embryonic development after fertilization.     

Protective effect of vitamin C and lycopene on the in vitro fertilization capacity of sex-sorted bull sperm by inhibiting the oxidative stress

The fertilization capacity of sex-sorted sperms is seriously decreased, which inhibits its wide application. However, little information is still available about the effect of vitamin C (VC) and lycopene (Lyc) on the fertilization capacity of sex-sorted bull sperm. In this study, the washing medium and fertilization medium of sex-sorted sperm from three bull individuals were supplemented with different concentrations of VC (0, 1 × 10^–3, 1 × 10^–4, 1 × 10^–5, 1 × 10^–6 M) or Lyc (0, 1 × 10^–4, 1 × 10^–5, 1 × 10^–6, 1 × 10^–7). After washing twice and incubation for 1.5 hr, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level, phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation, membrane potential (Δψm) and IVF (in vitro fertilization) ability of sex-sorted sperm were investigated. For the sex-sorted sperm of bulls A, B and C, 1 × 10^–3 M VC or 1 × 10^–4 M Lyc treatment significantly decreased their MDA levels and PS translocation and increased their Δψm levels and cleavage rates after IVF. When blastocysts were concerned, 1 × 10^–4 M Lyc significantly improved the blastocyst rates and their IFN-tau expression of bulls A and C. In conclusion, supplementation of 1 × 10^–3 M VC or 1 × 10^–4 M Lyc in washing and fertilization medium contributed greatly to improving the fertilization capacity of sex-sorted bull sperm during IVF procedure.     

Milrinone treatment of bovine oocytes during in vitro maturation benefits production of nuclear transfer embryos by improving enucleation rate and developmental competence

In the production of cattle nuclear transfer embryos, the production efficiency is affected by the oocyte developmental competence and successful enucleation rate. This study investigated the effect of treating oocytes with milrinone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, on these two characteristics. When cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured for 19 h with 0, 50 or 100 μM of milrinone, the enucleation rate was significantly improved by 100 μM milrinone. However, milrinone treatment during in vitro maturation (IVM) also delayed meiotic progression by at least 2 h, which would affect the examination of enucleation rate and developmental competence of oocytes. Thus, in the second experiment, meiotic resumption was temporarily inhibited with butyrolactone I (BL-I; 100 μM, 18 h) to decrease the delayed maturation caused by milrinone; this enabled a more accurate comparison of the effects of milrinone after oocyte maturation. In nuclear transfer embryo production, oocytes treated with milrinone (100 μM, 20 h) showed a significantly higher rate of enucleation compared with that of control oocytes. This improved enucleation rate was associated with a closer location of the metaphase plate to the first polar body in the treated oocytes compared with that in control oocytes. Furthermore, milrinone improved the frequency of development to the blastocyst stage in the resulting embryos. In conclusion, milrinone supplementation during IVM improved enucleation rates by rendering the metaphase plate in close proximity to the first polar body, and this treatment also improved oocyte developmental competence. These benefits additively improved the yield of cloned embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage.     

Effects of ammonium hydroxide treatment on the in vitro dry matter digestibility and gas production of wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse medium and konara oak rotted by edible basidiomycetes

Wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse medium and konara oak logs used to cultivate edible basidiomycetes were treated with ammonium hydroxide to investigate the relationship between the degree of rotting and the effect of ammonium hydroxide treatment on digestibility. Wheat straw was sampled before inoculation and on days 67 and 97 after inoculation with Pleurotus salmoneostramineus. Similarly, bagasse media were sampled before inoculation and on days 47 and 96 after inoculation with Pleurotus abalonus. Konara oak logs were sampled before inoculation and at 2 and 4 years after inoculation with Lentinula edodes. Aliquots of the samples were treated with ammonium hydroxide (NH₄‐N, 3% dry matter) at 45°C for 10 days. Ammonium hydroxide treatment increased the in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and gas production (IVGP) of all the samples, except the konara oak samples collected before inoculation. The degree of increased digestibility was largest for the samples collected after short cultivation periods, followed by those collected after long cultivation periods and those collected before inoculation. However, the IVDMD and IVGP values after short cultivation periods were lower than those after long cultivation periods. Ammonium hydroxide treatment is effective at improving the digestibility of white‐rotted materials, although the effect is lessened as rotting proceeds.