54 Effect of clinical endometritis on the follicle growth dynamics, oocyte recovery, oocyte quality, and invitro developmental competence of oocytes using ovum pickup in Sahiwal cattle

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
M. Saleem ◽  
M. Nawaz ◽  
M. Yaseen ◽  
M. R. Yousuf ◽  
A. G. Bajwa ◽  
...  

Sahiwal cattle is the premium quality milk breed of cattle in Pakistan. Uterine infections often lead to culling of valuable animals from a herd, resulting in genetic drain. The genetic potential of problematic females could be reaped by invitro embryo production. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of clinical endometritis on follicle growth dynamics, recovery, quality, and invitro developmental competence of oocytes using ovum pickup (OPU) in Sahiwal cattle. The animals, 5–7 years of age, third or fourth parity, and 160 to 170 days in milk (DIM), were inspected for any discharge at the vulva or inside the vagina. Then, B-mode ultrasonography was performed to measure the diameter of cervix and to examine the uterus for the presence of pus. The animals (n=12) were divided into 2 groups: (1) healthy (n=6), and (2) clinical endometritis (n=6), based on the presence or absence of pus at the vulva or in the vagina. The first OPU was performed after 7 days of dominant follicle puncture and subsequently repeated OPUs (54 and 50), after every 7 days over 9 OPU sessions, were performed in the healthy group and clinical endometritis group, respectively. Follicles were aspirated using transvaginal ultrasound–guided needle. Viable COCs were considered for further processing only and were placed in the 100-µL droplets of BO-IVM medium and incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2, and 95% humidity for 24h. Nuclear maturation was estimated by staining the oocytes with Hoechst 33342. Frozen semen from the same Sahiwal bull was thawed and processed for IVF throughout the study. Sperm were prepared using swim-up protocol. Sperm and COCs were co-incubated in 100-µL droplets of BO-IVF for 18h. Finally, presumptive zygotes were cultured in 100-µL drops of BO-IVC medium at 37°C, 5% CO2, 5% O2, and 95% humidity for a period of 7 days. Cleavage rate and blastocyst rate were recorded on Day 2 and 7 following IVF, respectively. The data were analysed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc.). The results revealed that the number of medium-sized follicle (1.32±0.11 vs. 0.56±0.11) and total follicles (9.14±0.70 vs. 6.58±0.72) were higher (P<0.05) in the healthy group than in the clinical endometritis group, respectively. Similarly, the number of oocytes recovered (5.05±0.39 vs. 2.78±0.41), viable oocytes (2.87±0.25 vs. 1.46±0.26), COCs with grade AB, having minimum of 2 cumulus cell layers and homogeneous cytoplasm, (33 vs. 20%) and nuclear maturation (68 vs. 55%) were also higher (P<0.05) in the healthy group than in the clinical endometritis group, respectively. However, cleavage rate (55 vs. 46%) and blastocyst rate (29 vs. 26%) did not differ (P>0.05) between the groups. In conclusion, clinical endometritis has a negative effect on follicle growth dynamics, oocyte recovery, oocyte quality, and nuclear maturation; however, the developmental competence of COCs is not compromised by it.

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
M. Saleem ◽  
Z. Sarwar ◽  
M. Saad ◽  
I. Zahoor ◽  
N. Ahmad ◽  
...  

Unhygienic practices at the time of parturition or AI lead to uterine infections. The uterine infections ultimately result in genetic drain by culling the elite animals. The invivo developmental competence of embryos is compromised in clinically metritic animals. The genetic potential of problematic females could be harvested by invitro embryo production (IVEP). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of clinical metritis on oocyte recovery, oocyte quality, and early invitro developmental competence of embryos in Bos indicus dairy cattle. This experiment was carried out from December 2017 to April 2018. Ovaries were collected from a local abattoir (Bos indicus; 5- to 8-year-old dairy cattle, body condition score 2.75±0.25, mixed parity). These ovaries (n=982) were divided into two groups: (1) clinically metritic (n=184), and (2) healthy (n=798), based upon the presence or absence of pus in the uterine lumen. Oocytes were aspirated from follicles using an 18G needle attached to a 10-mL syringe. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were categorized into A, B, C, and D grades based on the number of layers of cumulus cells and integrity of ooplasm. The oocytes of grades A and B were subsequently transferred in groups (10/group) in four-well plates containing 100-μL droplets. The droplets with oocytes were covered with prewarmed mineral oil and incubated for 24h at 38.5°C, 5% CO2, and 95% relative humidity. The oocytes were evaluated for IVM on the basis of cumulus expansion. Frozen semen was thawed and prepared using the sperm swim-up procedure for each group. Spermatozoa and oocytes were incubated together for a period of 18h. The presumptive zygotes were invitro cultured for 4 days in a CO2 incubator under similar culture conditions. The cleavage rate, 4-cell, and 8-cell stages were recorded on Days 2, 3, and 4 after the day of insemination, respectively. Data on oocyte recovery, oocyte quality, IVM, cleavage rate, and 4-cell and 8-cell stages were analysed by Chi-squared test using SPSS software (version 20; IBM Corp.) for Windows. Results demonstrated that recovery rate was lower (63.8% vs. 71.7%; P<0.05) in clinically metritic compared with healthy cattle. Similarly, oocytes of grade A and B quality were lower (41.0% vs. 51.1%; P<0.05), whereas those of C and D quality were higher (59.0% vs. 48.9%; P<0.05) in clinically metritic compared with the healthy group. Moreover, 4-cell (38.2% vs. 54.8%) and 8-cell stage embryos (11.3% vs. 29.1%), were lower (P<0.05) in the clinically metritic compared with the healthy group, respectively. However, maturation rate and cleavage rate did not differ (P>0.05) between groups. In conclusion, metritis in slaughterhouse ovaries negatively affects oocyte recovery rate, oocyte quality, and early invitro developmental competence of embryos in Bos indicus dairy cattle.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
D. G. B. Demetrio ◽  
J. F. Hasler ◽  
M. Oliveira ◽  
C. G. B. Demetrio ◽  
J. C. Fonseca ◽  
...  

The demand for invitro-produced embryos from heifers with high genetic merit has increased over time. Synchronization and stimulation of follicular growth before ovum pickup (OPU) has been used to improve oocyte quality and, consequently, embryo production. Multiple injections involve extra labour and stress for both personnel and cattle. The release of FSH can be prolonged by using 0.5% hyaluronan (HA) as a diluent, allowing a decrease in the number of injections. The objective of this study was to compare oocyte recovery and embryo production between single or multiple injections of FSH before OPU of Holstein heifers. During April and May 2020, 20 Holstein heifers (8 to 15 mo old) from Ruann Dairy (Riverdale, CA) were randomly divided and submitted to two different treatments (crossover design). Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH; Fertagyl®, Merck, 129µg, IM) was given to synchronize the follicular wave emergence. Treatment 1×FSH consisted of a single intramuscular (IM) injection of 100mg of FSH (Folltropin®, Vetoquinol) 36h after GnRH. The FSH consisted of a 2.5-mL injection of 400mg of FSH diluted in 10mL of 0.5% HA. OPU was performed 48 to 50h after FSH. Treatment 5×FSH consisted of 100mg of FSH divided into 5 equal IM injections (10-14h intervals) 36h after GnRH. The FSH consisted of 5×1-mL injections of 400mg of FSH in 20mL of saline. OPU was performed 18 to 20h after the last FSH injection. All donors received both treatments at a 14-day interval and the recovered oocytes were fertilized with the same sexed female-sorted semen in both rounds. OPU, oocyte classification, IVM, IVF, and culture (IVC) were performed as described by Demetrio et al. (2020 Anim. Reprod. 17, e20200053). All oocytes went into IVM, except for degenerated oocytes. The number of 4-cell (or more) embryos on Day 3 of IVC divided by the number of oocytes in IVC after IVF is defined as the cleavage rate. The number of blastocysts (early to hatched) on Day 7 of IVP divided by the number of oocytes in IVC after IVF is defined as the blastocyst rate. Poisson-normal (count data) and Logistic-normal (proportion data) models were used to analyse the data. Treatment, donor (random effect), and sire were included in the models. The results are summarized in Table 1. There were no differences between the two treatments on the number of oocytes recovered per OPU (total and grade 1 and 2), percentage of grade 1 and 2 oocytes, cleavage rate, blastocyst rate and number of embryos (total and grade 1). Oocyte recovery and embryo production are highly donor dependent. Stimulation of the follicular growth before OPU with one single injection of FSH diluted in 0.5% HA 36h after GnRH can be efficiently used for IVP in Holstein heifers, without decreasing the number of oocytes recovered and/or embryos produced with the advantage of reducing labour and stress of handling cattle. Table 1. Number and quality of oocytes and cleavage and blastocyst rates Treatment OPU Oocytes per donor Grade 1 and 2 oocytes (%) Cleavage rate (%) Blastocyst rate (%) Total embryos per OPU Grade 1 embryos per OPU 1×FSH 20 17.0 45.7 84 39.8 6.2 3.8 5×FSH 20 19.9 46.5 82 35.6 6.3 4.0


Zygote ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Bruno Mota ◽  
Ingrid Oliveira e Silva ◽  
Danielle Kaiser de Souza ◽  
Flavia Tuany ◽  
Michele Munk Pereira ◽  
...  

SummaryThe aim of this study was to evaluate the dose–response effect of insulin, plus follicle-simulating hormone (FSH) at a fixed concentration, in a serum-free defined culture medium (DCM) on the in vitro maturation of bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs). For oocyte nuclear maturation, the expression levels of GDF9, GLUT1, PRDX1 and HSP70.1 transcripts related to oocyte and embryo developmental competence were analysed. For in vitro maturation (IVM), cumulus–oocyte complexes from slaughterhouse ovaries were distributed into four groups based on insulin concentration added to serum-free DCM, which was composed of alpha minimum essential medium (α-MEM), as basal medium: (1) DCM control: 0 ng/ml; (2) DCM1: 1 ng/ml; (3) DCM10: 10 ng/ml; and (4) DCM100: 100 ng/ml. After IVM, the nuclear status of a sample of oocytes was analysed and the other oocytes were submitted for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro culture (IVC). Different concentrations of insulin did not affect significantly the nuclear maturation and cleavage rate (72 h post-insemination) across all groups. Blastocyst rate (192 h post-insemination) did not differ in DCM control (24.3%), DCM1 (27.0%) and DCM10 (26.3%) groups, but the DCM100 (36.1%) group showed a greater blastocyst rate (P < 0.05) than the DCM control. Insulin concentrations of 1, 10, or 100 ng/ml decreased the relative levels of GDF9 and HSP70-1 transcripts in oocytes at the end of IVM (P < 0.05). The transcripts levels of PRDX1 decreased (P < 0.05) only when 10 or 100 ng/ml insulin was added to the DCM medium. No difference in levels of GLUT1 transcripts (P > 0.05) was observed at the different insulin concentrations. The results indicated that insulin added to DCM influenced levels of transcripts related to cellular stress (HSP70-1 and PRDX1) and oocyte competence (GDF9) in bovine oocytes and at higher concentrations enhanced blastocyst production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
R. M. Santos ◽  
M. Oliveira ◽  
C. G. B. Demetrio ◽  
J. H. Hasler ◽  
J. C. Fonseca ◽  
...  

Lactating donor cows frequently have decreased oocyte quality, lower fertilization rates, and impaired early embryonic development due to their lactational metabolic challenges. Synchronization and stimulation of follicular growth before ovum pickup (OPU) has been used to improve oocyte quality and consequently, embryo production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single injection of FSH before OPU on oocyte recovery and embryo production in lactating Holstein donors. During June and July 2020, 22 lactating Holstein donors (open, 40 to 90 DIM, producing &gt;90 lbs of milk) from Ruann Dairy (Riverdale, CA) were randomly assigned to one of two treatments (crossover design). Donors did not receive any injections before OPU when assigned to the No FSH treatment. Treatment 1×FSH consisted of a single intramuscular (IM) injection of 140mg of FSH (Folltropin®, Vetoquinol) 36h after gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH; Fertagyl, Merck®, 129µg, IM). The FSH consisted of a 3.5-mL IM injection of 400mg of FSH diluted in 10mL of 0.5% hyaluronan (HA). OPU was performed 48 to 52h after FSH. All donors received both treatments on a 14-day interval. The recovered oocytes were fertilized with the same sexed female-sorted semen in both rounds (3 different sires were used). OPU, oocyte classification, IVM, IVF, and culture (IVC) were performed as described by Demetrio et al. (2020 Anim. Reprod. 17, e20200053). All oocytes went into IVM, except for degenerated occytes. The number of 4-cell (or more) embryos on Day 3 of IVC divided by the number of oocytes in IVC after IVF is defined as the cleavage rate. The number of blastocysts (early to hatched) on Day 7 of IVP divided by the number of oocytes in IVC after IVF is defined as the blastocyst rate. Poisson-normal (count data) and Logistic-normal (proportion data) models were used to analyse the data. Treatment, donor (random effect), and sire were included in the models. The results are summarised in Table 1. Oocyte recovery and embryo production were highly donor dependent. There were no differences in the number of recovered oocytes among treatments. Stimulation of the follicular growth before OPU with one single injection of FSH diluted in 0.5% HA 36h after GnRH improved oocyte quality, cleavage rates, blastocyst rates, embryo quality, and the total number of embryos per OPU in lactating Holstein donors. Table 1. Oocyte recovery, cleavage rate, and embryo production results Treatment OPU Oocytes per donor Grade 1 and 2 oocytes Cleavage rate (%) Blastocyst rate (%) Total embryos per OPU Grade 1 embryos per OPU No FSH 22 18.2 30a 69a 22a 3.4a 1.6a 1×FSH 22 17.5 34b 77b 34b 5.3b 3.3b a,bValues with different superscripts in the same column differ (at least P&lt;0.05).


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
K. Imai ◽  
M. Tagawa ◽  
S. Matoba ◽  
M. Narita ◽  
K. Kanayama

The present study was designed to assess the recruitment of follicles after ovum pickup (OPU) and dominant follicle (DF) removal on the follicular wave after OPU in Holstein dry cows. Cows were reared under the same feeding and environmental conditions. In Experiment 1, follicle aspiration (>2 mm in diameter) by OPU using a 7.5-MHz linear transducer with needle (COVA needle; Misawa Medical, Tokyo, Japan) connected to an ultrasound scanner (SSD-1200; ALOKA, Tokyo, Japan) was performed in four cows. Then, ovaries were observed after OPU from Day 1 (Day 0 = the day of OPU) to Day 11 to assess the number of follicles developed. In Experiment 2, two sessions of OPU were performed with a 7 day interval between sessions, with or without dominant follicle removal, to assess the quality of developing follicles and oocytes. In the DF removal group, >8-mm follicles were aspirated at Day 5 after the first OPU session, and the same cows without DF removal were designated as a control (n = 4, crossover trial). Oocytes were evaluated by their cumulus cell morphology, cytoplasmic color, and density. To assess the developmental competence of oocytes, Grades 1 and 2 cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected, matured, fertilized, and cultured as described by Imai et al. (2002 J. Vet. Med. Sci. 64(10), 887-891). Embryo development was assessed by the cleavage rate on Day 2 and the blastocyst formation rate on Days 7 to 9 (the day of insemination = Day 0). Data were analyzed by ANOVA or Student t-test. In Experiment 1, a dominant follicle (>8 mm in diameter) was developed during Days 3 to 5 after OPU in each donor. The mean number of developing follicles (>2 mm in diameter) were increased from Day 1 to Day 9 (Day 1: 7.5 � 2.1, Day 3: 19.0 � 1.2, Day 5: 23.3 � 9.0, Day 7: 30.3 � 11.0, Day 9: 42.0 � 15.8 and Day 11: 41.0 � 16.7 (mean � SD), P < 0.05). In Experiment 2, there was no difference in the mean number of developing follicles on the day of OPU and collected oocytes between DF removal and control groups (follicles: 47.8 � 23.0 and 39.3 � 6.2; oocytes: 27.0 � 11.6 and 26.5 � 5.4, respectively). The number of Grades 1 and 2 oocytes for the DF removal group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that for the control (83.6 � 1.5 and 63.2 � 14.2, respectively), and no significant difference was found within cleavage (60.0 � 37.2, 53.6 � 23.2) and blastocyst rates (34.1 � 33.9, 34.4 � 16.8). These results indicate that populations of follicles were increased till Day 9 after OPU, and the DF removal was effective at increasing oocyte quality in the developing follicles.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Y. Liu ◽  
A. Lucas-Hahn ◽  
B. Petersen ◽  
R. Li ◽  
P. Hassel ◽  
...  

Two nuclear transfer (NT) techniques are routinely used to produce cloned animals, traditional cloning (TC) and handmade cloning (HMC). The TC embryos keep their zona and can be transferred at early stages, whereas HMC embryos are zona-free and must be cultured to the morula/blastocyst stage before transfer. Some studies have shown that in vitro culture reduces embryo development and quality, but it is not known whether embryos produced by TC or HMC differ because of the NT method or the in vitro culture. Therefore, we investigated the developmental competence and histone acetylation (H3K18ac) of porcine NT embryos produced by TC and HMC with (Day 5 and 6) or without (Day 0) in vitro culture. Nuclear transfer experiments were performed on same day (Day 0), using same batch of porcine oocytes and donor cells and same in vitro culture conditions. Cloning procedures were previously described (TC : Cloning Stem Cells 10 : 355; HMC : Zygote 20 : 61). Parthenogenetically activated embryos (PA) were used as control of activation and culture conditions. Embryos from all groups were collected for immunostaining of H3K18ac on Days 0, 5, and 6. The normalized H3K18ac level was calculated as previously described (Epigenetics 6 : 177). Cell numbers per blastocyst in each group were counted on Days 5 and 6. The cleavage rate (Day 2) and blastocyst rates (Days 5 and 6) between groups were analysed by Chi-squared test, whereas cell number per blastocysts and H3K18ac level between groups and days were analysed by ANOVA (SAS version 9.2; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Cleavage rate of HMC embryos was lower than that of TC embryos, but blastocyst rate and cell number per blastocyst were higher in the HMC group compared with TC (Table 1). Differences of H3K18ac level between HMC, TC, and PA groups were only observed on Day 6 but not on Day 0 or Day 5. Within HMC and TC groups, there was no difference in H3K18ac level between Day 0 and Day 5, but the level was lower on Day 6 compared with Day 5 in the HMC group, whereas the TC group displayed the opposite pattern. In conclusion, NT embryos produced by HMC show higher blastocyst rate and cell number per blastocyst compared with TC embryos. Both in vitro culture and the NT method result in differences of the normalized H3K18ac levels. Further study is needed to investigate putative differences between NT embryos produced by HMC and TC compared to in vivo embryos also after transfer to recipients. Table 1.Cleavage and blastocyst rate, cell numbers, and normalized H3K18ac level for handmade cloning (HMC), traditional cloning (TC), and parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos1


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-98
Author(s):  
Seyede Zahra Banihosseini ◽  
Marefat Ghaffari Novin ◽  
Hamid Nazarian ◽  
Abbas Piryaei ◽  
Siavash Parvardeh ◽  
...  

Abstract Quercetin is a natural flavonoid with strong antioxidant activity. In the present study, we evaluate the influence of different concentrations of quercetin (QT) on intracytoplasmic oxidative stress and glutathione (GSH) concentration, during in vitro maturation (IVM) and fertilization in mouse oocytes. IVM was carried out in the presence of control (QT0), 5 (QT5), 10 (QT10), and 20 (QT20) μg/mL of QT. Nuclear maturation, intracellular GSH and ROS content were evaluated following the IVM. In these oocytes, we subsequently evaluated the effect of QT supplementation on embryo development, including 2-cell, 8-cell, and blastocyst rate. The results of the present study showed that the supplementation of 10 μg/mL QT in maturation medium increased the number of MII oocytes. In addition, fertilization and blastocyst rate in QT10 treatment group were significantly higher in comparison to the other groups, and elevated the amount of intracellular GSH content compared to other QT concentrations and control groups. The intracellular ROS level was the lowest among oocytes matured in Q5 and Q10 treatment groups. This result suggested that quercetin dose-dependently improves nuclear maturation and embryo development, via reducing intracytoplasmic oxidative stress in mature oocyte.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
S. K. Panda ◽  
A. George ◽  
A. P. Saha ◽  
R. Sharma ◽  
N. M. Kamble ◽  
...  

Despite recent successes in the birth of buffalo calves cloned through SCNT or hand-guided cloning (HGC), the cloning efficiency is very low in this species because of lack of information on factors that influence it. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of cytoplasmic volume on the developmental competence of cloned buffalo embryos produced by HGC. In vitro matured oocytes were stripped of their cumulus investment and zona pellucida using hyaluronidase and pronase, respectively. Protrusion cone-guided bisection of zona-free oocytes was performed to remove the nucleus. For reconstructing control HGC embryos, 2 enucleated oocytes (demi-cytoplasts) were fused with a single somatic cell. For reconstruction of embryos with lower or higher cytoplasmic volume, 1 or 3 demi-cytoplasts were fused, respectively, with the donor somatic cell. 2 different cell types, i.e. buffalo fetal fibroblasts (BFF) between passage 10 and 15 and buffalo embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like cells between passage 22 and 25 were used as nuclear donors in 2 different experiments. Data were analysed by 1-way ANOVA after arcsine transformation of percentage values. For BFF, the blastocyst rate for doublet and triplet embryos were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) than that for singlet embryos despite the cleavage rate for the 3 groups being similar. For the ESC-like cells, the cleavage and the blastocyst rate were significantly lower (P ≤ 0.01) for the singlet than that for the doublet embryos. The pregnancies were established only in doublet and triplet embryo groups using BFF cells and in the doublet embryo group using ESC-like cells. These results indicate that increasing the cytoplasmic volume could be helpful in improving cloning efficiency in terms of blastocyst production rate in buffaloes. Table 1.Effect of cytoplasmic volume on the developmental competence of cloned buffalo embryos This work was funded by NAIP grant C 2-1-(5)/2007 to SKS.


Zygote ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (05) ◽  
pp. 321-328
Author(s):  
Lucas Teixeira Hax ◽  
Joao Alveiro Alvarado Rincón ◽  
Augusto Schneider ◽  
Lígia Margareth Cantarelli Pegoraro ◽  
Letícia Franco Collares ◽  
...  

SummaryAround 60–80% of oocytes maturated in vivo reached competence, while the proportion of maturation in vitro is rarely higher than 40%. In this sense, butafosfan has been used in vivo to improve metabolic condition of postpartum cows, and can represent an alternative to increase reproductive efficiency in cows. The aim of this study was to evaluate the addition of increasing doses of butafosfan during oocyte maturation in vitro on the initial embryo development in cattle. In total, 1400 cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were distributed in four groups and maturated according to supplementation with increasing concentrations of butafosfan (0 mg/ml, 0.05 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml and 0.2 mg/ml). Then, 20 oocytes per group were collected to evaluate nuclear maturation and gene expression on cumulus cells and oocytes and the remaining oocytes were inseminated and cultured until day 7, when blastocysts were collected for gene expression analysis. A dose-dependent effect of butafosfan was observed, with decrease of cleavage rate and embryo development with higher doses. No difference between groups was observed in maturation rate and expression of genes related to oocyte quality. Our results suggest that butafosfan is prejudicial for oocytes, compromising cleavage and embryo development.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document