208 Cryotolerance of In Vitro-Produced Cattle Embryos Produced with Different Maturation and Culture Media

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 244
Author(s):  
M. A. Taylor ◽  
C. M. Owen ◽  
M. Barceló-Fimbres ◽  
L. F. Campos-Chillon

In vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos suffer from damage due to suboptimal culture conditions involving altered metabolism, reactive oxygen species generation and high lipid accumulation, which could be impacted by oocyte maturation × embryo culture interaction. We hypothesised that optimizing oocyte and embryo culture conditions would lead to a higher post-thaw embryo survival rate. The experiment was replicated 9 times in a factorial design with 3 oocyte maturation media: TCM-199 plus 10% serum and gonadotropins (control), BO-HEPES-IVM (BO, IVF Bioscience UK), and HMM (HEPES-buffered maturation medium) and 3 embryo culture media: BO-IVC (BOC), BBH7 (Cooley Biotech, Gainesville, FL, USA), and SCF1 (SOF for Conventional Freezing 1; Owen et al. 2017 Reprod Fertil Dev. 29, 129-130). Bovine oocytes (n = 2907) were aspirated from 2- to 8-mm follicles of abattoir ovaries, matured at 38.5°C for 22 to 24 h in 5% CO2 (control) or in BO and HMM in air, fertilized with semen from 1 of 3 bulls, and cultured in BOC, BBH7, and SCF1 at 38.5°C in 5.5% CO2, 5% O2, and 90% N2. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were evaluated at Day 3 and 7, respectively, after IVF. Selected stage 7 blastocysts were slow frozen using 1.5 M ethylene glycol supplemented with 1 mm l-ascorbic acid for 20 min (equilibration). The embryos were cooled to and seeded at –6°C, and then cooled to −32°C at 0.5°C/min. Embryos were thawed and re-expansion was assessed at 24 and 48 h. Data (Table 1) was arcsin transformed and analysed by ANOVA, and means separated by l.s.d. Results indicate that oocytes matured in BO and embryos cultured in SCF1 had a higher blastocyst rate than all oocytes matured in control medium and all embryos cultured in BBH7 (P < 0.05). However, oocytes matured in control medium and embryos cultured in BOC had lower post-thaw re-expansion rates than other treatment groups (P < 0.05). These results suggest that a combination of oocyte maturation and embryo culture media plays an important role in post-thaw embryo survival, al though interactions of present treatments need to be further evaluated. Table 1.Effect of maturation and culture media on blastocyst rate and cryotolerance ± SEM)

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Marianowski ◽  
Filip A. Dąbrowski ◽  
Aleksandra Zyguła ◽  
Mirosław Wielgoś ◽  
Iwona Szymusik

Adverse perinatal outcomes in singleton IVF pregnancies have been most often explained by parental underlying diseases and so far laboratory conditions during embryo culture are still not explored well. The following review discusses the current state of knowledge on the influence of IVF laboratory procedures on the possible perinatal outcome. The role of improved media for human embryo culture is unquestionable. Addition of certain components to culture media and their effect on embryo survival and implantation rates have been taken into consideration recently and studied on animal model. Impact of media on perinatal outcome in IVF offspring has also been studied. It has been discovered that epigenetic changes and neonatal birth weight are probably associated with the use of specific culture media, as is the relation between placental size and its influence on perinatal outcome. There are still questions in the discussion about duration of embryo culture (cleavage stage versus blastocyst transfer). Some of the IVF methods, such as in vitro maturation of oocytes and freezing/thawing procedures, also require well-powered randomized controlled trials in order to define their exact impact on perinatal outcome. Constant further research is needed to assess the impact of laboratory environment on fetal and postnatal development.


2021 ◽  
pp. 3164-3169
Author(s):  
Mohamed M. M. El-Sokary ◽  
Al-Shimaa Al-H. H. El-Naby ◽  
Amal R. Abd El Hameed ◽  
Karima Gh. M. Mahmoud ◽  
T. H. Scholkamy

Background and Aim: Despite many trials, buffalo embryos have poor cryosurvivability because of their high lipid content. L-carnitine was found to be a lipid-reducing agent when added to oocyte and embryo culture media. The study aimed to determine the most effective concentration of L-carnitine to improve the oocyte developmental competence and cryotolerance of buffalo embryos. Materials and Methods: In vitro maturation and embryo culture media were supplemented with four concentrations of L-carnitine: 0 (control), 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mM. Good-quality embryos on 7 days were vitrified using mixtures of dimethyl sulfoxide and ethylene glycol at two concentrations (3.5 and 7 M). Results: The result showed that the cleavage and morula rates were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the 0.5 mM group. Blastocyst rates were significantly (p<0.05) higher at both 0.5 and 1 mM. The rates of viable embryos directly after thawing were significantly (p<0.05) increased in the 0.5 mM group. No significant difference was found in embryos cultured for 24 h after warming among all the groups. Conclusion: The addition of L-carnitine at a concentration of 0.5 mM to the culture media improves the oocyte developmental competence and cryotolerance of buffalo embryos directly after warming but not after 24 h of culture. Nevertheless, further studies must identify how L-carnitine exerts its beneficial micromechanisms.


Zygote ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Guérin ◽  
Yves Ménézo

SummaryThe culture of early preimplantation stage embryo is still delicate and the metabolic pathways of embryos are not completely understood. Embryo needs are evolutionary during the preimplantation development, consequently it is difficult to meet embryo needs in vitro. Culture conditions have to respect several physical and chemical equilibria: such as redox potential, pH, osmotic pressure, metabolic flux of energetic compounds, endogenous pools of amino acids and transcripts, etc. Embryo culture media are generally supplemented with amino acids, glucose, other energetic metabolites and antioxidant compounds, vitamin, and growth factors etc. Furthermore autocrine and paracrine regulation of embryo development probably exist. In fact embryo culture conditions have to be as non-toxic as possible. Various types of co-culture systems have been devised to overcome these problems. Complex interrelations exist between embryos and co-cultured cells. The beneficial effects of co-cultured cells may be due to continuous modifications of the culture medium, i.e. the elimination of toxic compounds and/or the supply of embryotrophic factors.


HortScience ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan W. Sinclair ◽  
David H. Byrne

Carbohydrate source of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] embryo culture media affects embryo growth and survival. The first objective of this study was to determine the effect of five carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, maltose, sorbitol, and sucrose) in Woody Plant Medium (WPM) on the germination and survival of peach embryos in vitro. Fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose in WPM resulted in better embryo germination and survival than sorbitol. Fructose (2% and 3%) produced greater survival than all other carbohydrates tested in smaller embryos (<10% ovule dry weight). However, sucrose was better than all other carbohydrates tested in the larger embryos (≥10% ovule dry weight). In addition, large embryos (>10% ovule dry weight) on fructose at 1% combined with glucose, maltose, sorbitol, or sucrose at 1% had equivalent or higher survival than did those on either 1% or 2% sucrose in conjunction with the same carbohydrates. Embryo survival on different carbohydrates varied with genotype. The second objective of this study was to determine the effect of three levels of MES buffer (0.0 mm, 4.5 mm, and 9.0 mm) on medium pH stability and embryo survival. MES buffer at 0.0 mm and 4.5 mm concentration produced significantly better embryo survival than 9.0 mm. The pH stability was better at MES 9.0 mm, however survival decreased significantly. Chemical name used: [2-(N-morpholino)-ethane sulphonic acid] (MES)


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Biricik ◽  
V Bianchi ◽  
F Lecciso ◽  
M Surdo ◽  
M Manno ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question To explore ploidy concordance between invasive and non-invasive PGTA (niPGT-A) at different embryo culture time. Summary answer High level (&gt;84%) of concordance rate for ploidy and sex, sensitivity (&gt;88%), and specificity (76%) were obtained for both day6/7 samples and day5 samples. What is known already The analysis of embryo cell free DNA (cfDNA) that are released into culture media during in vitro embryo development has the potential to evaluate embryo ploidy status. However, obtaining sufficient quality and quantity of cfDNA is essential to achieve interpretable results for niPGT-A. More culture time is expected to be directly proportional to the release of more cfDNA. But embryo culture time is limited due to in-vitro embryo survival potential. Therefore, it is important to estimate the duration of the culture that will provide the maximum cfDNA that can be obtained without adversely affecting the development of the embryo. Study design, size, duration A total of 105 spent culture media (SCM) from day5-day7 blastocyst stage embryos have been included in this cohort study. The cfDNA of SCM samples were amplified and analyzed for niPGT-A by NGS analysis. The SCM samples were divided into 2 subgroups according the embryo culture hours (Day5 and Day6/7 group). The DNA concentration, informativity and euploidy results have then been compared with their corresponding embryos after trophectoderm biopsy (TE) and PGT-A analysis by NGS Participants/materials, setting, methods Embryos cultured until Day3 washed and cultured again in 20µl fresh culture media until embryo biopsy on Day5, 6, or 7. After biopsy SCM samples were immediately collected in PCR tubes and conserved at –20 °C until whole genome amplification by MALBAC® (Yicon Genomics). The TE and SCM samples were analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using Illumina MiSeq® System. NGS data analysis has been done by Bluefuse Multi Software 4.5 (Illumina) for SCM and TE samples Main results and the role of chance Only the SCM samples which have an embryo with a conclusive result were included in this cohort (n = 105). Overall 97.1% (102/105) of SCM samples gave a successful DNA amplification with a concentration ranging 32.4–128.5ng/µl. Non-informative (NI) results including a chaotic profile (&gt;5 chromosome aneuploidies) were observed in 17 samples, so 83.3%(85/102) of SCM samples were informative for NGS data analysis. Ploidy concordance rate with the corresponding TE biopsies (euploid vs euploid, aneuploid vs aneuploid) was 84.7% (72/85). Sensitivity and specificity were 92,8% and 76,7%, respectively with no significant difference for all parameters for day 6/7 samples compared with day 5 samples. The false-negative rate was 3.5% (3/85), and false-positive rate was 11.7% (10/85). Limitations, reasons for caution The sample size is relatively small. Larger prospective studies are needed. As this is a single-center study, the impact of the variations in embryo culture conditions can be underestimated. Maternal DNA contamination risk cannot be revealed in SCM, therefore the use of molecular markers would increase the reliability. Wider implications of the findings: Non-invasive analysis of embryo cfDNA analyzed in spent culture media demonstrates high concordance with TE biopsy results in both early and late culture time. A non-invasive approach for aneuploidy screening offers important advantages such as avoiding invasive embryo biopsy and decreased cost, potentially increasing accessibility for a wider patient population. Trial registration number Not applicable


2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (13) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Korolj ◽  
Erika Yan Wang ◽  
Robert A. Civitarese ◽  
Milica Radisic

Engineering functional cardiac tissues remains an ongoing significant challenge due to the complexity of the native environment. However, our growing understanding of key parameters of the in vivo cardiac microenvironment and our ability to replicate those parameters in vitro are resulting in the development of increasingly sophisticated models of engineered cardiac tissues (ECT). This review examines some of the most relevant parameters that may be applied in culture leading to higher fidelity cardiac tissue models. These include the biochemical composition of culture media and cardiac lineage specification, co-culture conditions, electrical and mechanical stimulation, and the application of hydrogels, various biomaterials, and scaffolds. The review will also summarize some of the recent functional human tissue models that have been developed for in vivo and in vitro applications. Ultimately, the creation of sophisticated ECT that replicate native structure and function will be instrumental in advancing cell-based therapeutics and in providing advanced models for drug discovery and testing.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Sage ◽  
P. Hassel ◽  
B. Petersen ◽  
W. Mysegades ◽  
P. Westermann ◽  
...  

Porcine nuclear transfer (NT) is an inefficient process and it is necessary to use as many as 120 NT embryos for each foster mother to obtain small litters of live piglets. In these experiments, we evaluated the effects of culture atmosphere and medium on the development of NT embryos by monitoring blastocyst rate and cell number of Day 6 blastocysts. Age matched IVF and parthenogenetic embryos were also evaluated for comparison. For all experiments a pool of oocytes was aspirated from ovaries collected in a local abattoir. Following aspiration, oocytes were allowed to mature for 40 h in North Carolina State University (NCSU)-37 medium (supplemented with cAMP and hCG/eCG for the first 22 h). After removal of the cumulus cells, denuded oocytes with polar bodies were selected for NT, enucleated, fused with fetal fibroblasts, and sequentially activated electrically and chemically by 3 h of treatment with 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP). A second group of oocytes from the same denuded pool were maintained in TL-HEPES medium and activated in parallel with the NT group to produce parthenogenetic embryos. A third group was fertilized with frozen-thawed epididymal semen and co-cultured for ∼12 h to give IVF embryos. All three treatment groups were subdivided into a control subgroup and an experimental subgroup. In the first experiment, we compared the effects of atmosphere (20% vs. 5% oxygen) on in vitro embryonic development in NCSU-23 medium. In the second experiment, we used only the 5% oxygen concentration and compared different culture media. One subgroup was maintained in standard NCSU-23 medium and the second subgroup was cultured in a two-step system for the first 58 h in modified NCSU-23 (without glucose but supplemented with 2.0 mM lactate and 0.2 mM pyruvate), followed by addition of glucose to give a final concentration of 5.55 mM. Data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance and chi square test. Blastocyst rate and mean cell number in all three embryo groups were improved under 5% oxygen. The most dramatic effect was observed in the NT group, in which the blastocyst rate increased significantly (P < 0.001) from 6.7% ± 5.9 (n = 279) to 19.6% ± 8.9 (n = 250) and mean cell number increased from 17.7 ± 12.1 to 25.8 ± 10.3 cells per blastocyst. With 5% oxygen there was also an increase of blastocyst rates and mean cell numbers in both IVF and parthenogenetic groups. In the second experiment, blastocyst rate for NT embryos increased significantly (P < 0.05) from 21.8% ± 7.6 (n = 242) in conventional NCSU-23 to 31.5% ± 11.0 (n = 271) in the modified system whereas there was almost no difference in the mean cell number of both groups (29.2 ± 4.3 vs. 31.5 ± 5.3). In the groups of IVF and parthenogenetic embryos no difference was found. These results indicate that both the reduced oxygen and the modified culture medium are important for pre-implantation development of porcine nuclear transfer embryos.


Development ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 513-526
Author(s):  
M. H. Kaufman ◽  
M. A. H. Surani

Eggs from (C57B1 × A2G)F1 mice were activated by treatment with hyaluronidase, which removed the follicle cells, and cultured in vitro. Observations were made 6–8 h after hyaluronidase treatment to determine the frequency of activation and the types of parthenogenones induced. Cumulus-free eggs resulting from hyaluronidase treatment were incubated for 2¼ h in culture media of various osmolarities. The frequency of activation was found to be dependent on the postovulatory age of oocytes, while the types of parthenogenones induced were dependent on the osmolarity of the in vitro culture medium and their postovulatory age. Culture in low osmolar medium suppressed the extrusion of the second polar body (2PB). This decreased the incidence of haploid eggs with a single pronucleus and 2PB and immediately cleaved eggs from 97·5% to 42·3% of the activated population. Where 2PB extrusion had been suppressed, 97·4% of parthenogenones contained two haploid pronuclei. Very few were observed with a single and presumably diploid pronucleus. Serial observations from 11 to 18 h after hyaluronidase treatment were made on populations of activated eggs as they entered the first cleavage mitosis after 2¼ h incubation in medium either of normal (0·287 osmol) or low (0·168 osmol) osmolarity. A delay in the time of entry into the first cleavage mitosis similar to the duration of incubation in low osmolar medium was observed. Further, eggs were incubated in control and low osmolar culture media containing uniformly labelled [U-14C]amino acid mixture to examine the extent of protein synthesis in recently activated eggs subjected to these culture conditions. An hypothesis is presented to explain the effect of incubation in low osmolar culture medium in delaying the first cleavage mitosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Mestres ◽  
Q Matia-Algué ◽  
A Villamar ◽  
M García-Jiménez ◽  
A Casals ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question Do commercial mineral oil brands differ in their capacity to stabilize the human embryo culture system, and is this related to the oil’s viscosity? Summary answer While the oils’ viscosity only had minor effects on temperature maintenance, it showed a direct correlation with the stability of pH and osmolality during culture. What is known already Mineral oil is a key component of the in vitro embryo culture system, which stabilizes temperature, pH and osmolality of the media during culture. Its use has been implemented worldwide for several decades and many manufacturers currently produce and commercialize oil intended for human embryo culture. Unfortunately, oil remains as one of the less characterized products in the IVF laboratory due to a lack of standardized nomenclature, production and testing. With differing physico-chemical properties, such as viscosity, oils produced by various manufacturers could behave differently to the same culture conditions and, thus, its use may need to be adjusted accordingly. Study design, size, duration Viscosity was quantified in three high-viscosity (H-V) and three low-viscosity (L-V) oils with a viscosity-meter. The required time for media’s pH to equilibrate using each oil was studied, as well as its subsequent stability outside the incubator for 30min. In-drop temperature was assessed during 15min when taking a dish outside the incubator, and again when putting it back. Additionally, each oil’s capacity to avoid media evaporation was studied with daily osmolality measurements during 7 days. Participants/materials, setting, methods pH equilibration was measured with a continuous pHmeter (Log&Guard, Vitrolife) in 4-well dishes prepared with 600µl of medium and 500µl of oil. For the other experiments, 35mm dishes with 4ml of oil and 20µl media droplets were used. pH stability was assessed after 0, 15 and 30min outside the incubator with a blood-gas-analyzer (epoc,SiemensHelthineers). A fine-gauge thermocouple was used to measure in-drop temperature loss/recovery. Daily osmolality readings were taken with a vapor pressure osmometer (Vapro5600,Wescor). Main results and the role of chance The selected oil samples had a viscosity of 115, 111, 52, 22, 18, and 12cP. The medium’s pH took approximately 12h to completely equilibrate under H-V oils, while it took less than 4h in L-V. Similarly, the rise in pH after 30min on a heated stage outside of the incubator with room atmosphere was 0.03, 0.04, 0.06, 0.13, 0.17, and 0.26, respectively. Dishes were taken out of the incubator and placed on a heated surface. In the first five minutes, the in-drop temperature loss ranged between –0.22 and –0.13oC/min, with no significant differences observed between oil types. However, temperature plateaued at a significantly higher value in L-V oils (36.5oC), compared to H-V brands (36.25–36.1oC; p = 0.0005). By contrast, all samples followed a similar pattern when the dishes were returned to the benchtop incubator, with temperature taking around 7 minutes to completely recover. Some media evaporated in all oil groups during the 7-day culture in a dry benchtop incubator. The linear regression performed to compare the evaporation rate between groups showed a statistically significant correlation between oil viscosity and the rate of evaporation (p &lt; 0.0001), with an osmolality rise ranging between +2.55mmol/kg/day in the most viscous oil and +6.29mmol/kg/day in the least viscous. Limitations, reasons for caution While the selected oils for this study represent a wide range of options in the market, future projects could widen this selection and include additional tests, such as optimized bioassays. Results may vary between centers, and thus each laboratory should test and optimize their culture system with their own settings. Wider implications of the findings: Different oil brands have shown differing physico-chemical properties that have a direct effect on the culture system and the stability of several culture conditions. These results may be of major importance to adapt the settings and methodologies followed in each IVF laboratory according to the type of oil being used. Trial registration number Not applicable


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