Developments in in vitro technologies for swine embryo production

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Wheeler ◽  
Sherrie G. Clark ◽  
David J. Beebe

Several modifications have been made to in vitro production (IVP) systems to allow more efficient production of viable porcine embryos. Although in vitro production of pig embryos has been studied for over 30 years, the overall blastocyst production rate remains low. The low blastocyst rate is due to several factors, including polyspermic oocyte penetration, low rate of male pronucleus formation and less than optimal in vitro culture systems. These conditions are all inherent problems in porcine IVP and many of the mechanisms involved remain unknown. Considerable research has examined culture medium and the techniques used during the various stages of in vitro production. However, changes to the physical culture system used during IVF have remained unchanged until recently. The present paper will summarise selected developments in fertilisation and embryo culture media composition and focus on the development of modified equipment to improve the conditions used during the IVP of porcine oocytes and embryos.

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Mullaart ◽  
F. Dotinga ◽  
C. Ponsart ◽  
H. Knijn ◽  
J. Schouten

Improving the efficiency of the in vitro production (IVP) process is very important because it results in more embryos to be used in breeding programs or as commercial service. At CRV, a culture medium consisting of SOF with amino acids and BSA is used. In the past, richer culture media were used with 10% fetal calf serum combined with BRL cell co-culture. Although the efficiency of the IVP process of these media was good, these rather high serum concentrations were quite often related to large offspring syndrome (LOS). The switch to a culture system without serum resulted in a significant reduction in LOS but also in a reduction of embryo yield. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of adding low amounts of serum to the culture medium on efficiency of embryo production. Immature cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were recovered from ovaries 6 to 8 h upon slaughter. The COC were matured in vitro in TCM199/FCS/LH/FSH supplemented with cysteamine (0.1 mM). Subsequently, matured oocytes were fertilised with frozen-thawed gradient-separated semen and further cultured for 7 days in SOFaaBSA. The SOF medium contained either 0 (control), 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0% oestrus cow serum (ECS). Embryos development was scored at Day 7. Three replicates were performed and results were analysed by chi-square analyses. The results clearly show that adding ECS significantly improved embryo production (Table 1). Interestingly, already very low amounts (0.1%) of serum gave a significant increase in embryo percentage. In conclusion, addition of very low amounts of ECS (0.1%) is beneficial for embryo production, resulting in significantly higher embryo production (from 19 to 27%). In a subsequent field trial with OPU-derived embryos, the effect of addition of 0.1% ECS on birth weight (LOS) of the calves has to be investigated. Table 1.Percentage of blastocysts at Day 7 after culture in SOF medium with different amounts of serum


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Barfield ◽  
G. E. Seidel

The North American bison is a symbol of Native American heritage and the American West as well as being an increasingly important agricultural species. Reproductive technologies in bison lag behind those of cattle. Blastocyst production rates were low (<10%) in the only study of in vitro production of bison embryos (Thundathil et al. 2007 Theriogenology 68, 93–97). Our aims were to assess the application of our bovine in vitro embryo production system (De La Torre-Sanchez 2006 Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 18, 585–596) to bison gametes and evaluate the effect of adding FCS at different stages of the process. Initially, we performed homologous and heterologous inseminations with bison and cattle oocytes collected from abattoir ovaries and frozen-thawed epididymal bison sperm and ejaculated cattle sperm. Ovaries from both species were processed on the same day and a single straw of semen per species was used to fertilize all oocytes in each of 3 to 5 replicates. Culture media and conditions were identical for each treatment. Cleavage rates from the homologous IVF were 87% (86/99) for bison and 82% (164/199) for cattle. Bison oocytes with cattle sperm resulted in 88% (76/86) cleaved and cattle oocytes with bison sperm resulted in 69% cleaved (133/192; P < 0.01). Day 7 blastocyst rates per oocyte and per 8-cell stage, respectively, were 16 and 27% for cattle embryos, 6 and 13% for cattle oocytes with bison sperm, 10 and 16% for bison oocytes with cattle sperm and 7 and 9% for bison embryos. Experiments for bison embryos were then designed to evaluate the effect of adding 10% FCS to the maturation medium and 5, 2.5, or 0% to CDM2, the culture medium used after the 8-cell stage. Cleavage rates for oocytes matured in 10% FCS were 50% (202/405) and were 61% (206/337) in the absence of FCS. Day 7 blastocyst rates per oocyte and per 8-cell stage, respectively, of embryos matured in 10% FCS and then cultured in CDM2 + FCS were 12 and 26% in 5% FCS; 5 and 15% in 2.5% FCS; and 1 and 2.5% in 0% FCS. Similarly, Day 7 blastocyst rates of embryos matured without FCS but in CDM2 + FCS were 13 and 30% in 5% FCS, 1 and 4% in 2.5% FCS and 2 and 6% in 0% FCS. In a subsequent experiment, 5% FCS was added to CDM1 (culture medium for presumed zygotes through the 8-cell stage), CDM2, or both, but not to the maturation medium. Cleavage rates of bison embryos cultured with or without FCS in CDM1 were 63% (62/99) and 72% (145/202), respectively. Blastocyst rates of embryos cultured in CDM1 + FCS were 16% per oocyte and 36% per 8-cell stages in CDM2 + FCS and 0% in CDM2-FCS. Blastocyst rates of embryos cultured in CDM1 without FCS were 16% per oocyte and 25% per 8-cell stage in CDM2 + FCS and were 1% per oocyte and 2% per 8-cell stage in CDM2-FCS (P < 0.10). Adding 5% FCS to culture medium after embryos have reached the 8-cell stage greatly improved blastocyst rates of in vitro-produced bison embryos. Bison reproduction is highly seasonal and this work was conducted outside the bison breeding season. It is unknown if FCS would influence blastocyst rates when oocytes are collected from bison ovaries during the breeding season.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (02) ◽  
pp. e62-e68
Author(s):  
Jeeta Sarkar ◽  
Nirmalya Banerjee

AbstractSteroid alkaloid solasodine is a nitrogen analogue of diosgenin and has great importance in the production of steroidal medicines. Solanum erianthum D. Don (Solanaceae) is a good source of solasodine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different cytokinins on the production of secondary metabolites, especially solasodine in the in vitro culture of S. erianthum. For solasodine estimation, field-grown plant parts and in vitro tissues were extracted thrice and subjected to high-performance liquid Chromatography. Quantitative analysis of different secondary metabolites showed that the amount was higher in the in vitro regenerated plantlets compared to callus and field-grown plants. The present study critically evaluates the effect of the type of cytokinin used in the culture medium on solasodine accumulation in regenerated plants. The highest solasodine content (46.78±3.23 mg g-1) was recorded in leaf extracts of the in vitro grown plantlets in the presence of 6-γ,γ-dimethylallylamino purine in the culture medium and the content was 3.8-fold higher compared to the mother plant.


Blood ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan J. Erslev

Abstract Normal rabbits exposed to 0.4 atmospheric pressure for 3 hr will generate about 40-60 U of erythropoietin during a subsequent 3-hr period. If the kidneys were removed from 3-hr hypoxic animals, washed carefully, and perfused for 3 hr by recirculation with a serum-tissue culture mixture, each kidney generated about 14 U of erythropoietin in vitro. Perfusion of normal kidneys did not result in the production of erythropoietin, and only small amounts were generated if the perfusate contained Puromycin. Three-hour hypoxic kidneys perfused for 3 hr with a serum-free tissue culture medium were found to generate about 8 U of erythropoietin per kidney and similar kidneys perfused with saline about 1 U. These results indicate that erythropoietin is synthesized by kidney tissue and not produced by enzymatic activation of a plasma substrate.


Metabolomics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Érika Cristina dos Santos ◽  
Camila Bruna de Lima ◽  
Kelly Annes ◽  
Marcella Pecora Milazzotto

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 743-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Leandro Figueiredo de Vasconcellos ◽  
Mylenne Calciolari Pinheiro da Silva ◽  
Carlos Marcelo Ribeiro ◽  
Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso

Actinobacteria are capable of playing several different roles in soil ecosystems. These microorganisms affect other organisms by producing secondary metabolites and are responsible for the degradation of different complex and relatively recalcitrant organic compounds. In our survey of actinobacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Araucaria angustifolia, five culture media (AI, WYE, YCED, MSSC and LNMS) were compared for their effectiveness in isolating these microorganisms. When summing up all the isolates randomly obtained, we got 103 isolates. After isolation, the phosphate-solubilizing ability and the "in vitro" production of indole-acetic acid and chitinases were evaluated. The AI medium was ineffective for actinobacteria isolation, when it was compared with the other four culture media. Indole-acetic acid and chitinase were produced by respectively 36% and 24% of the strains tested. However, only 2% of the 103 strains presented some phosphate-solubilizing ability. These results demonstrate the biotechnological potential of these microorganisms.


Genetika ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-136
Author(s):  
Velichka Rodeva ◽  
Stanislava Grozeva ◽  
Velichka Todorova

Callusogenesis and regeneration ability of cotyledon and hypocotyl explants from three Bulgarian pepper varieties in MS basal medium supplemented with l-3mg/l BAP. l.0mg/1 IAA and 0.5mg/l GA3 was studied. In the different variants of culture medium was registered high level of callusogenesis and organogenesis in both type of explants from the all varieties. The highest percentage of plant-regenerants is established in cotyledon explants (from 3.3 to 18.3) in variant 3 of the culture medium containing 3mg/l BA. In the process of micropropagation by stem explants of the same studied pepper varieties the addition of the vitamins C. B12. Casein hydrolysate and Ferulic acid had a stimulation effect on the plant growth in height and rooting. In result of anther cultivation from three pepper varieties and four breeding lines the highest percentage of embryo structure formation was registered in varieties Albena and Strjama (12.0 and 13.8 respectively). The Bulgarian peppers are recalcitrant and their in vitro answer is different depending from the explants type, genotype and the culture media composition.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
R. Simões ◽  
M. P. Milazzotto ◽  
C. Yamada ◽  
W. B. Feitosa ◽  
A. R. S. Coutinho ◽  
...  

Production of transgenic mouse embryos by microinjection is a well established and successful technique. However, when microinjection protocols were used for bovine, the amount of the oocyte lipid content did not allow the production of bovine transgenic embryos. Sperm-mediated gene transfer (SMGT) is an alternative for this species because it has lower cost and does not require microinjection handling. One of the procedures to introduce exogen DNA into oocytes is by means of sperm capacitated with calcium ionophore (CaI). The aim of this work was to evaluate different CaI concentrations ([CaI]), sperm incubation times with CaI (tCa), and incubation times of sperm capacitated with DNA (tDNA) (EYFP; Clontech, Palo Alta, CA, USA) to establish a satisfactory method for IVP of bovine transgenic embryos. Slaughterhouse oocytes with compact cumulus and uniform ooplasm were in vitro maturated in TCM-199 medium + 10% FCS + FSH + hCG + estradiol (E2) + piruvate + gentamicin under 5% CO2 in air, at 39�C and high humidified atmosphere for 24 h. Semen was thawed in a water bath at 37�C for 30 s and separated by Percoll gradient (45/90%) at 600g for 30 min. After this procedure, sperm cells were washed in TALP-semen medium by centrifugation at 200g for 5 min at room temperature. Supernatant was removed and capacitation (5 � 106 spermatozoa/group) was induced with CaI (250 nM or 500 nM for 1 or 5 min). Capacitated sperm cells were incubated with 500 ng/mL DNA for 1 or 2 h. Nontreated spermatozoa were used as control group. Sperm cells (1 � 105) were used to inseminate 20 oocytes/90 mL microdroplets for 18 h. The presumptive zygotes were co-cultured in SOFaa medium with a granulosa cell monolayer under high humidified atmosphere, at 39�C and 5% CO2 in air. Blastocyst rates were analyzed by ANOVA. Independent variables were replicate, [CaI], tCa, tDNA, and the double and triple interactions among the last three variables; when appropriate, means were compared by orthogonal contrasts. There was [CaI] � tCa � tDNA interaction for blastocyst rate (P < 0.02). Treatments with 250 nM ([CaI]), 5 min (tCaI), and 1 h (tDNA) or 500 nM ([CaI]), 1 min (tCaI), and 1 h (tDNA) resulted in 36.1% and 37.4% blastocyst rates, respectively, similar to the control group (30.5%; P > 0.4). These results demonstrated that it is possible to capacitate spermatozoa with CaI to produce transgenic embryos, without alteration of blastocyst rate. This work was supported by FAPESP 03/08542-5 and 03/07456-8.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
H. T. Lee ◽  
J. M. Jang ◽  
S. H. Lee ◽  
M. K. Gupta

In vitro production of cloned porcine embryos by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has become routine in several laboratories but the efficiency and quality of the resultant blastocysts remains sub-optimal. Cloned porcine blastocysts show low cell number, high fragmentation rate, and apoptosis which results in lower pregnancy rates upon embryo transfer. Earlier we reported that supplementation of culture media with amino acids benefit pre-implantation embryo development of in vivo- as well as in vitro-fertilized porcine embryos (Koo et al. 1997 Theriogenology 48, 791–802). This study evaluated how exogenous amino acids could affect pre-implantation development and quality of cloned or parthenogenetic porcine embryos. The effects of commercially available amino acids, referred to as Eagle&apos;s non-essential amino acids (NEAA), added or not added (control) to NCSU23 medium containing fatty acid-free BSA were studied. Oocytes recovered from abattoir-derived prepubertal porcine ovaries were matured in vitro and parthenogenetically activated (PA) or nuclear-transferred with fetal fibroblasts (SCNT), as described earlier (Uhm et al. 2000 Mol. Reprod. Dev. 57, 331–337). At 168 h post-activation, blastocysts were harvested for assessment of embryo quality by TUNEL labeling, Hoechst 33342 staining, and gene expression analysis. Results showed that, in the PA group, the cleavage rate was not affected by the supplementation of NEAA. However, the blastocyst rate was significantly improved when NEAA was present in the medium compared to that of the control group (38.9 &plusmn; 0.3 vs. 27.5 &plusmn; 0.3&percnt;, respectively) throughout the culture period. The supplementation during the pre-compaction period alone gave better results than during the post-compaction period alone (59.5 &plusmn; 0.9 vs. 33.4 &plusmn; 0.3&percnt;, respectively). In the SCNT group, however, both cleavage (73.6 &plusmn; 0.2 vs. 64.2 &plusmn; 0.4&percnt;) and blastocyst rate (18.7 &plusmn; 0.2 vs. 13.8 &plusmn; 0.3&percnt;) were improved by NEAA supplementation. Furthermore, these blastocysts had higher hatching ability (30.0 &plusmn; 1.8 vs. 14.6 &plusmn; 4.9&percnt;) than those of control group (P &lt; 0.05). Supplementation of NEAA also increased the mean nuclei number of PA-derived (76.1 &plusmn; 4.9 vs. 66.5 &plusmn; 3.3) as well as SCNT-derived (43.1 &plusmn; 2.6 vs. 31.8 &plusmn; 1.9) blastocysts and reduced the time during which blastocysts formed. TUNEL assay revealed that incidence of nuclear fragmentation and apotosis was reduced by NEAA. Real-time qRT-PCR for Bax and Bcl-XL transcripts revealed that the relative abundance of Bax was reduced while that of Bcl-XL was increased. These effects were more pronounced when NEAA was present during the pre-compaction period alone. Thus, our data suggest that NEAA improves the yield and quality of cloned porcine embryos by enhancing blastocyst expansion and positively modulating the total cell number and apoptosis. These data may have implications for understanding the nutritional needs of cloned porcine embryos produced in vitro and for optimizing the composition of culture media to support their development. This work was supported by the Research Project on the Production of Bio-Organs (No. 200503030201), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Korea.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 219 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. García ◽  
Y. Ducolomb ◽  
S. P. Miranda-Castro ◽  
J. F. De la Torre-Sánchez ◽  
S. Romo

Chitosan is a partially deacetylated polymer obtained from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin, which is a glucose-based unbranched polysaccharide widely distributed in nature as the main component of exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. Chitosan has a variety of physicochemical and biological properties resulting in numerous applications. In addition to its lack of toxicity and allergenicity, its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactivity make it a very attractive substance for diverse applications as a biomaterial in pharmaceutical and medical fields. Chitosan stimulates cell growth and it has been used in fibroblast culture, increasing cell proliferation. For these reasons, it is important to evaluate if this polymer has a positive effect on embryo production. The aim of this study was to evaluate porcine oocyte maturation and embryo development, comparing the effect of supplementing different concentrations of chitosan to the maturation (MM) and development media (DM). Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were aspirated from ovarian follicles of slaughtered sows. The COC were matured in supplemented TCM-199 (MM) and incubated for 44 h. All incubations were performed at 38.5°C, with 5% CO2 in air and humidity at saturation. After maturation IVF was performed, frozen-thawed semen from the same boar was used and gametes were co-incubated in MTBM for 7 h. Then, putative zygotes were cultured in NCSU-23 (DM) for 144 h. The following experiments were performed: 1) addition of 0 (control), 35, 50, 100, and 150 ppm chitosan to the MM (n = 1353), 2) addition of 0, 50, 100, and 150 ppm chitosan to the DM (n = 739), 3) addition of 0, 50, 100, and 150 ppm of chitosan to the MM first and then the same concentrations to the DM (n = 702). When chitosan was added to the MM, the highest percentage of matured oocytes (metaphase II) was obtained in the 50 ppm treatment (87%, P < 0.05) when compared with the control, 100, and 150 ppm groups (78, 78, and 82%, respectively). Regarding the percentage of blastocysts, there were no differences when comparing the treatment and the control groups (ranging from 12 to 13%). After addition of chitosan to the putative zygotes in the DM, the percentage of morulae in the 150 ppm treatment was significantly increased with regard to the other groups (54 v. 46%, respectively, P < 0.05). When adding chitosan to both MM and DM, there was no effect on embryo development. It is concluded that the addition of chitosan to the MM at a concentration of 50 ppm significantly improved oocyte maturation and a concentration of 150 ppm in the DM increased the percentage of morulae. Chitosan had a positive effect on oocyte maturation and embryo development. These results justify further investigations to find out if chitosan can be useful as a supplement for chemically defined media.


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