In vitro fertilization and development of in vitro matured bovine follicular oocytes

Bovine follicular oocytes matured in vitro were fertilized in vitro using epididymal spermatozoa from five different bulls and then cultured to the blastocyst stage in vitro. The fertilization rate, based on one pair of pronuclei and presence of one sperm tail, ranged from 55.2 to 64.3%. Embryo development (cleavage to blastocyst stage) ranged from 21.4 to 31.0% of the cultured ova reaching 8 cells at 3 to 4 d after insemination to 1.3 to 3.7% reaching hatched blastocysts at 9 to 10 d. It is concluded that individual variation among bulls is not a significant factor in fertilization and development rates of bovine follicular oocytes when epididymal spermatozoa are used.     

体外受精温度、时间及卵子质量对延边黄牛受精卵体外发育的影响

本研究探讨了体外受精温度、时间及卵子质量对延边黄牛卵母细胞体外受精后体外发育的影响。试验结果表明，体外受精温度为39℃、体外受精时间12h时，卵裂率、囊胚发育率及囊胚孵化率最佳；卵子的质量对受精卵体外发育的影响很大。     

In vitro maturation and fertilization of prepubertal and pubertal black Bengal goat oocytes

Oocytes retrieval, in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) efficiency are inevitable steps towards in vitro production of embryos. In the present study, these parameters were investigated in the ovaries of prepubertal (n = 31) and pubertal (n = 61) black Bengal goats obtained from a slaughterhouse. Nuclear maturation was evaluated upon aspiration and following IVM in TCM-199 (Earle''s salt with L-glutamine and sodium bicarbonate) for 27 h at 39℃ under 5% CO₂ in humidified air. The oocytes retrieval and efficiency (mean ± SD) per prepubertal and pubertal goats were 5.2 ± 0.6 and 6.8 ± 0.6, and 77.3 ± 0.1% and 80.5 ± 0.6%, respectively. Anaphase I - telophase I stages differed significantly (7.3 ± 0.8 vs. 2.6 ± 0.2, p < 0.05) between the two groups of goats. After IVM, the percentages of metaphase II were significantly higher (66.3 vs. 60.3, p < 0.05) in pubertal goats than in their prepubertal counterparts. The percentages of normal in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Fert-Tyrode''s albumin lactate pyruvate of pubertal goat oocytes did not differ between Percoll and swim-up sperm separation methods (36.7 ± 0.9% vs. 32.7 ± 1.3%, p > 0.05). Furthermore, sperm capacitation by heparin alone or in combination with ionomycin did not lead to a significant increase in the normal fertilization rate (34.8 ± 1.7 vs. 32.2 ± 1.5%, respectively) in the oocytes of pubertal goats. In conclusion, the ovaries of pubertal black Bengal goats obtained from the slaughterhouse could be used for in vitro embryo production. However, further optimization of the IVM and IVF techniques are necessary for satisfactory in vitro embryo production.     

猪卵母细胞体外受精条件的优化

猪卵母细胞体外受精(in vitro fertilization,IVF)技术为受精和胚胎早期发育机理等基础理论的研究及生产实践提供了重要的研究手段。虽然猪IVF的研究已经取得了一些进展,但其囊胚发育率仍然较低,亟需建立更为稳定、高效的体外受精方法。本试验通过比较精子浓度,精子获能处理,不同精卵共孵育培养体系以及在卵母细胞成熟过程中添加不同激素等影响猪卵母细胞体外受精胚胎发育能力的因素,以求找到最佳的猪卵母细胞体外受精体系。结果显示:在精子浓度为1×10~5~1×10~7/mL,5×10~6/mL的精子浓度显著提高体外受精效率(P<0.05);以茶碱、咖啡及咖啡因联合使用肝素作为获能物质处理精子,发现2.5 mmol/L茶碱处理组体外受精效率显著提高(P<0.05);通过比较不同的受精体系,发现使用40个卵/500μL体系显著提高体外受精效率(P<0.05);在卵母细胞成熟液中添加不同激素组合,发现添加10IU/mL PMSG,10IU/mL HCG和2.5IU/mL FSH激素组合,体外受精效率显著提高(P<0.05)。本试验结果表明,在M199中添加10IU/mL PMSG,10IU/mL HCG和2.5IU/mL FSH体外成熟培养卵母细胞,以5×10~6/mL精子浓度,2.5mmol/L茶碱作为获能物质处理精子,40个卵/500μL共孵育的IVF体系效果最佳,其卵裂率为(61.33±0.77)%,囊胚率为(28.33±1.08)%。本试验将为深入研究猪IVF提供理论参考。     

Prolonged exposure to hyaluronidase decreases the fertilization and development rates of fresh and cryopreserved mouse oocytes

Hyaluronidase is generally used to remove cumulus cells from mouse oocytes before oocyte cryopreservation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection or DNA injection. In general, use of cumulus-free mouse oocytes decreases in vitro fertilizing ability compared with cumulus-surrounded oocytes. The effect of hyaluronidase exposure on the quality of mouse oocytes is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the effect of hyaluronidase exposure time on the fertilization rate of fresh and vitrified mouse oocytes and their subsequent developmental ability in vitro. We found that the fertilization rate decreased with hyaluronidase treatments. This reduction in the fertilization rate following treatment with hyaluronidase was fully reversed by removal of the zona pellucida. In addition, oocytes treated with hyaluronidase for 5 min or longer had a reduced capacity to develop to the morula and blastocyst stage. The survival, fertilization, and developmental rates of vitrified-warmed oocytes were also reduced by longer exposure to hyaluronidase. In conclusion, these results suggest that prolonged exposure to hyaluronidase decreases the quality of mouse oocytes and shorter hyaluronidase treatment times may help achieve a stable and high fertilization rate in fresh and cryopreserved oocytes.     

在成熟过程中添加牛血清和猪卵泡液对猪卵母细胞核成熟及体外受精后早期胚胎发育的影响

研究目的在于探讨在成熟过程中添加牛血清和猪卵泡液对猪卵母细胞核成熟、卵丘细胞扩散及体外受精后早期胚胎发育的影响。卵母细胞·卵丘细胞复合体在含FSH和LH的以下处理组的成熟液中成熟培养 2 3～ 2 4h :(1)对照组-改良TCM - 199+0 .1%PVA ;(2 )试验组 1-改良TCM - 199+10 %新生牛血清 ;(3)试验组 2 -改良TCM - 199+10 %猪卵泡液 ,再移至无FSH和LH的不同处理组的成熟液中成熟培养 2 3～ 34h。试验 1中 ,卵母细胞在 4 6～ 4 8h成熟培养后 ,观察卵丘细胞扩散情况 ,并对卵母细胞进行固定和染色 ,鉴定卵母细胞减数分裂情况 :试验 2中 ,对在不同处理组的成熟液中成熟培养 4 6～ 4 8h的卵母细胞进行体外受精 ,再培养 8d。受精后第 2天检查分裂率、第 6天检查桑椹胚 /囊胚率、第 8天检查囊胚率。 4 6～ 4 8h成熟培养后试验组 1和试验组 2的大部分卵母细胞 -卵丘细胞复合体的卵丘细胞完全扩散 ,而对照组的卵丘细胞只有 5 0 %扩散。试验组 1和试验组 2的卵母细胞核成熟率分别为 39.9% (77/ 193)和 4 4 .3% (93/ 2 10 ) ,与对照组的卵母细胞核成熟率 4 8.1% (99/ 2 0 6 )相比没有显著差异 (P <0 .0 5 )。卵母细胞分裂率试验组 1(5 0 .0± 1.8) %和试验组 2 (49.9± 2 .6 ) %与对照组的卵母细胞分裂率 (49.0± 2     

Effects of meiotic inhibitors and gonadotrophins on porcine oocytes in vitro maturation,fertilization and development

This study evaluated the effect of three reversible meiotic inhibitors (MINs) and their interaction with gonadotrophins (Gns) on the meiotic maturation and developmental competence of porcine oocytes. In experiment 1, the oocytes were matured for 22 hr in the presence or absence of dbcAMP (1 mM), cycloheximide (7 μM) or cilostamide (20 μM) with or without Gns, and for an additional 22 hr in the absence of MINs and Gns. At 22 hr of maturation, regardless of the presence of Gns, a higher proportion (p < .001) of oocytes cultured in the presence of MINs were effectively arrested at the germinal vesicle stage compared with the oocytes cultured without MINs. At 44 hr of maturation, the proportion of oocytes that reached MII was higher (p < .05) in groups with Gns compared with groups without Gns. In experiment 2, oocytes that were matured as in experiment 1 were inseminated and cultured for 7 days to evaluate fertilization parameters and blastocyst formation. Only oocytes from the dbcAMP + Gns group had higher (p < .05) efficiency of fertilization compared with the other treatment groups. The presence of dbcAMP during maturation also increased (p < .05) blastocyst formation and efficiency of blastocyst formation in both the presence and absence of Gns. These results indicate that the interaction of Gns with the tested MINs improved meiotic progression. In addition, regardless of supplementation with Gns, the presence of dbcAMP during the first maturation period increased and even doubled the capacity of oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage.     

牦牛卵母细胞的体外成熟

以屠宰场牦牛卵巢为材料,比较了抽吸加切割法和抽吸法2种卵母细胞离体采集方法的效率和5种成熟培养液的培养效果,并研究了卵泡位置、形态对卵母细胞体外成熟的影响。结果表明:在牦牛乏情期,平均每个卵巢用抽吸加切割法回收卵数极显著高于抽吸法(9.33±4.30VS4.70±2.62,P<0.01),可用卵数也极显著高于抽吸法(5.63±4.19VS4.37±2.32,P<0.01)。将牦牛卵丘卵母细胞复合体(COCs)分别置于5种成熟培养液中培养,其中M199(缓冲体系为Earles盐) 10% FBS 5.0mg/LLH 1.0mg/LE2 双抗(青霉素100IU/mL和链霉素100mg/L)的成熟液效果最好,成熟率为81.33%,卵裂率为49.33%。来自卵巢表面卵泡的COCs的成熟率和卵裂率均高于来自卵巢内卵泡的COCs(分别为81.33%VS69.33%,P>0.05;49.33%VS34.67%,P<0.05)。来自明亮卵泡的COCs的成熟率和卵裂率均极显著高于来自浑浊卵泡的COCs(分别为81.33%VS33.33%,P<0.01;49.33%VS3.33%,P<0.01)。     

水牛卵母细胞的体外受精及其胚胎发育的研究

本研究比较了不同来源的水牛卵母细胞的体外受精及其胚胎发育。对10头摩拉母水牛连续6周进行活体采卵,共采集292枚卵母细胞,头均回收卵母细胞4.87枚,头均A级卵数为3.07枚,从屠宰场收集74头水牛卵巢共采集559枚卵母细胞,头均回收卵母细胞和A级卵母细胞分别为7.55枚和5.20枚,均显著高于活体采集的水牛卵母细胞(P<0.01)。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、体外受精和体外培养至囊胚。结果表明,活体采卵组和屠宰水牛卵母细胞组受精分裂率差异不显著,分别为54.81%和57.73%。屠宰水牛卵母细胞组的囊胚率则高于活体采卵组(28.78%vs21.34%,P<0.05)。利用两组的胚胎进行常规法冷冻保存,冻胚解冻后的存活率差异不显著(P>0.05)。     

牛卵母细胞的体外成熟

在卵母细胞体外成熟液（含FSH）中分别添加10、30、50μg/L表皮生长因子（EGF）,24 h检查成熟率。结果表明,添加10、30μg/L EGF组牛卵母细胞成熟率为79.8%、71.5%与对照组（未添加EGF）成熟率（70.4%）无明显差异（P〉0.05）,但EGF添加至50μg/L时牛卵母细胞第一极体（PB1）排出率显著提高,达85.4%（P〈0.01）;在此基础上,比较了成熟液中添加尿促性素（HMG）对牛卵母细胞体外成熟的影响,结果发现在含FSH和EGF的成熟液中添加HMG未能显著提高牛卵母细胞体外成熟效果（P〉0.05）;最后,比较了HMG对牛卵母细胞体外成熟的效果,结果发现单独添加HMG成熟效果显著高于FSH（P〈0.05）,表明成熟液中如不含其他生长因子,则单独添加HMG较FSH对牛卵母细胞体外成熟的效果好。     

牦牛卵巢卵母细胞体外培养成熟条件的建立

研究了不同采集方法和不同培养液对牦牛卵母细胞体外成熟的培养效果。结果:在牦牛乏情期,每个卵巢平均回收卵数为(9.33±4.30),可用卵数为(5.63±4.19)。将牦牛卵丘卵母细胞复合体分别置于5种成熟培养液中培养,成熟率分别为75.56%、71.11%、81.33%、77.33%和77.78%,卵裂率分别为42.22%、33.33%、49.33%、46.67%和42.22%,其中C的成熟液效果最好。来自卵巢表面卵泡的COCs的成熟率(81.33(vs69.33(,P>0.05)高于来自卵巢内卵泡的COCs,卵裂率(49.33%vs34.67%,P<0.05)显著高于来自卵巢内卵泡的COCs。来自明亮卵泡的COCs的成熟率(81.33%vs33.33%,P<0.01)和卵裂率(49.33%vs3.33%,P<0.01)极显著高于来自混浊卵泡的COCs。     

Long-term effects of in vitro growth of mouse oocytes on their maturation and development

Since very few oocytes grow completely in vivo, in vitro growth (IVG) of ovarian oocytes may provide a new source of functional oocytes. The long-term effects of in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes and in vitro culture of fertilized eggs have been reported; however, the effects of IVG of oocytes are unknown. Here in, we report the long-term effects of IVG of oocytes. Ovaries from 1-day-old mice containing non-growing oocytes were cultured for 10 days; the isolated follicles were then cultured for 11 days. Secondary follicles from 10-day-old mice were also cultured for 11 days. The nuclei of oocytes collected from the IVG and Graafiais follicles of adult mice were transferred to enucleated oocytes grown in vivo, respectively. Developmental competence was examined following IVM of the reconstituted oocytes. Chronologically, oocytes of 1-day-old, 10-day-old and adult mice were cultured for 22, 12 and 1 day(s). The result showed that the reconstituted eggs developed into pups at high rates after nuclear transfer and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in all the experimental groups (29-45%). However, the pups from reconstituted eggs containing the nuclei of 22-day cultured oocytes were heavier than the control pups (P<0.05). We concluded that long-term culture of oocytes did not affect their nuclear ability to develop to term; however, fetal growth was affected by the culture duration or culture conditions during the initial phase of follicular growth.     

Application of laser-assisted zona drilling to in vitro fertilization of cryopreserved mouse oocytes with spermatozoa from a subfertile transgenic mouse

Development of assisted reproductive technologies is necessary to obtain fertilized oocytes in a subfertile transgenic mouse strain. Here, we showed the application of laser-assisted drilling of the zona pellucida to in vitro fertilization of cryopreserved mouse oocytes with sperm from subfertile transgenic mice (C57BL/6N-Tg(UCP/FAD2)U8 strain). After cryopreservation by vitrification, the recovery and survival rates of the zona-drilled mouse oocytes were 97% (97/100) and 94% (91/97), respectively. In vitro fertilization of the cryopreserved zona-drilled mouse oocytes with sperm from the subfertile transgenic mice was greatly facilitated (60%, 55/91) compared to that of the cryopreserved zona-intact mouse oocytes (11%, 81/768). In vitro fertilized embryos that developed to the 2-cell stage were again cryopreserved by vitrification, and after warming they were transferred into recipient females. Subsequently, six viable offspring were delivered, and all were confirmed to be transgenic mice. These results indicate that laser-assisted zona drilling of oocytes combined with cryopreservation by vitrification may be a useful approach for large-scale production of in vitro fertilized embryos for managing transgenic mouse strains with reproductive disabilities such as subfertile sperm.     

In vitro fertilization and cortical granule distribution of bovine oocytes having heterogeneous ooplasm with dark clusters.

In vitro maturation, fertilization and subsequent development of oocytes with homogeneous (category 1), or heterogeneous ooplasm (category 2) were investigated. No significant differences were observed in the nuclear maturation and total fertilization rates between the two categories. However, category 2 oocytes showed a higher normal fertilization rate due to their lower incidence of polyspermy as compared to category 1 oocytes. Electron microscopic study revealed that all category 2 oocytes had cortical granules lined up next to the plasma membrane, and that some category 1 oocytes still had small clusters of cortical granules after maturation. Although the proportion of cleaved zygotes was higher in category 2, the percentages of cleaved zygotes that developed to the blastocyst stage did not differ between the two categories. These results demonstrate that oocytes with heterogeneous ooplasm have a higher capacity for normal fertilization due to the reduction in polyspermy. This can be attributed to the normal distribution of cortical granules in category 2 oocytes after maturation.     

In vitro culture of mouse preantral follicles using membrane inserts and developmental competence of in vitro ovulated oocytes

To develop a reliable follicle culture system, mouse preantral follicles 150-200 microm in diameter were cultured individually for 5 or 6 days in membrane inserts or in droplets, and then induced to ovulate with hCG (Experiment 1). The nuclear maturation and developmental competence of the oocytes that ovulated from the follicles cultured in inserts were determined (Experiment 2). There was no significant difference between the two culture systems in the survival rate (83 and 77%). However, follicles cultured in inserts showed a higher ovulation rate (63%) than those cultured in droplets (39%, P<0.05). About 80% of the oocytes that ovulated from the follicles cultured in inserts were at the metaphase II stage. After in vitro fertilization, 75 and 48% of in vitro ovulated oocytes cleaved and developed into blastocysts, respectively. These results demonstrate that the insert culture system is superior to the droplet culture system in terms of follicular growth and ovulation, and can be used to investigate the growth and ovulation of follicles in vitro.     

受精液和受精时间对牦牛卵泡卵母细胞体外受精的影响

利用屠宰牦牛卵巢，抽取其表面2～5mm的卵泡内卵母细胞，经体外成熟后分别用BO液和改良Tyrode’S液进行体外受精研究。结果表明，BO液受精6h和改良Tyrode’s液分别受精6h和18h，牦牛体外受精卵的卵裂率差异不显著（分别为52．48％、47．67％和50．00%,P〉0．05）。它们的4细胞发育率分别为75．47％、78．05％和64．10％，8细胞发育率分别为56．60％、56．10％和48．72％，使用改良Tyrode’s液受精18h的发育率最低，与其他2组相比，差异极显著（P〈0．01）；而受精时间同为6h时，2种受精液之间发育率的差异不显著（P〉0．05）。     

Piezo-assisted in vitro fertilization of mouse oocytes with spermatozoa retrieved from epididymides stored at 4 degree C

This study was performed to investigate the effect of partial zona pellucida incision by piezo micromanipulation (ZIP) on the in vitro fertilizing ability of stored mouse spermatozoa. The storage conditions were optimized by storing the mouse epididymides at 4 C in mineral oil or in the mouse body for up to 4 days after death, and the retrieved spermatozoa were used to fertilize fresh oocytes. No significant difference was observed in fertilization rates between the treatments when epididymides were stored for up to 2 days, but the fertilization rates in mineral oil were higher (P<0.05) than those in the mouse body at 3 (41.4 vs. 16.2%) and 4 days (26.0 vs. 15.8%). Spermatozoa retrieved from epididymides stored in mineral oil were then used to fertilize fresh and vitrified oocytes with or without ZIP treatment. The fertilization rates of the ZIP fresh oocytes were higher than those of the zona-intact oocytes at each time point (1 to 4 days). After ZIP, the fertilization rates of spermatozoa stored for 1 and 2 days (91.2 and 86.6%, respectively) were similar (P>0.05) to that of fresh spermatozoa (91.9%). In regard to vitrified oocytes, the fertilization rates of zona-intact and ZIP oocytes using fresh spermatozoa were 46.7 and 84.7%, while the fertilization rates of vitrified ZIP oocytes using spermatozoa stored for 1 to 4 days ranged from 49.3 to 79.6%. When 2-cell embryos derived from ZIP fresh and vitrified oocytes inseminated with 2 day-stored spermatozoa were transferred into recipient females, 47.9 and 15.0% of the embryos developed to term, respectively. These results indicate that storing mouse epididymides at 4 C in mineral oil is more suitable than storage in the mouse body and that the ZIP technique improves the in vitro fertilizing ability of stored mouse spermatozoa in fresh oocytes and significantly increases the fertilization rate of vitrified oocytes with fresh spermatozoa.