132 SUCCESSFUL EMBRYO TRANSFER OF IN VIVO-PRODUCED RED DEER (CERVUS ELAPHUS) EMBRYOS AFTER CRYOPRESERVATION BY SLOW FREEZING OR VITRIFICATION

Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) programs for red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been established commercially over the last decade, with embryo cryopreservation being a related practice necessary to enhance the use of valuable genetic information. The aim of this work was to establish alternative methods for red deer embryo cryopreservation by using slow freezing with ethylene glycol (SF–EG) and vitrification by open pulled straw (OPS) methods. After surgical flushing of 18 superstimulated donors, 54 transferable embryos were recovered; 28 were transferred fresh to synchronized recipients and the others were cryopreserved by SF–EG (n = 11) or OPS (n = 15), respectively thawed or warmed, and transferred to recipients. Fresh embryos were maintained in Dulbecco's PBS + 20% cow serum (holding medium, HM) until transfer (maximum 3 h after collection). SF–EG cryopreserved embryos were suspended in HM + 1.78 M EG + 0.1 M sucrose + 4 mg mL−1 BSA. After a 10-min equilibration, embryos were loaded individually into 0.25-mL plastic straws and placed into a −7°C methanol bath chamber. After seeding (5 min later), the straws were cooled from −7 to −35°C at a rate of 0.5°C min. Straws were plunged into and stored in liquid nitrogen. Thawing was performed by placing the straws in a 30°C water bath for 30 s; their contents were drained into HM until transfer. Embryos were vitrified using the OPS method with minor modifications. They were first incubated in HM + 1.78 M EG + 1.3 M DMSO for 3 min and then transferred for 25 s into a vitrification solution of HM + 3.56 M EG + 2.6 M DMSO + 0.5 M sucrose. Each embryo was loaded by touching a 1-µL drop with the straw, which was immediately submerged into and stored in liquid nitrogen. Warming was done by placing the narrow end of the straws into HM + 0.25 M sucrose for 5 min. Embryos were then transferred into HM + 0.15 M sucrose for 5 min and finally to HM until transfer. Both types of cryopreserved embryos were transferred a few hours after collection, immediately after thawing or warming. Before embryo transfer, the presence of corpus luteum (CL) of recipients was confirmed by laparoscopic examination. Each embryo was surgically transferred into the apical extreme of the uterine horn ipsilateral to the CL of one recipient. Pregnancy was determined by ultrasonography 41 days after embryo transfer. The pregnancy rate between groups was compared with the chi-square test (P < 0.05). No statistical differences were found between groups (Table 1). Our results show that both vitrification and slow freezing methods with EG are suitable to cryopreserve red deer embryos. Table 1. Pregnancy rates in recipient hinds after transfer of fresh, vitrified, or frozen red deer embryos