An experimental design was framed to analyse the effect of cumulus oocyte complex (COC) morphology on in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes. Slaughter house derived bovine ovaries from South Indian breeds and crossbred cattle of Kerala were subjected to three retrieval methods to yield different quality grades of oocytes. Based on the number of layers of cumulus cells and ooplasm character, the...

BACKGROUND Leptin, as a 16 kDa adipokine, is a pleiotropic cytokine-like hormone that primarily secreted from adipose tissue. It also involves in the regulation of energy homeostasis, neuroendocrine function, immunity, lipid and glucose homeostasis, fatty acid oxidation, angiogenesis, puberty and reproduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of in vitro addition of leptin t...

BACKGROUND In cryopreservation, oocytes are subjected to extreme hyperosmotic conditions, inducing large volume changes that, along with an abrupt temperature drop, interfere with their developmental competence. Our objectives in this work were to find conditions enabling an increase in oocyte cryosurvival and subsequent development. METHODS Abattoir-derived bovine oocytes were cultured witho...

The effects of a progesterone antagonist (onapristone) on heat synchronization, luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, ovulation, oocyte maturation and fertilization of superovulated ewes were studied. Its effects on in vitro bovine oocyte maturation and fertilization were also studied. Estrus synchronization and superovulation treatments were applied to 39 adult ewes using an intravaginal sponge with...

Sperm binding activity has been detected in zona pellucida (ZP) glycoproteins and it is generally accepted that this activity resides in the carbohydrate moieties. In the present study we aim to identify some of the specific carbohydrate molecules involved in the bovine sperm-ZP interaction. We performed sperm binding competition assays, in vitro fecundation (IVF) in combination with different ...

alpha-Solanine and alpha-chaconine are two naturally occurring steroidal glycoalkaloids in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and solanidine-N-oxide is a corresponding steroidal aglycone. The objective of this research was to screen potential cyto-toxicity of these potato glycoalkaloids using bovine oocyte maturation, in vitro fertilization techniques and subsequent embryonic development as the in v...

This review presents some of the most noticeable aspects related with the oocyte cryopreservation procedures, emphasizing their evolution in the bovine, which points towards the critical points determining the reduced survival rates of female gametes to freezing and vitrification. Factors such as the maturation status, the cytoskeleton and membrane sensitivity, the role of the cumulus cells, th...

The potential application of in vitro embryo production (IVP) technologies partially depends on the development of reliable, repeatable and efficient techniques for recovery of oocytes from genetically valuable animals. While oocyte collection from living animals has been widely used in the bovine species, its exploitation in sheep has been limited (Galli et al., 2001). Most work reported in sh...

STUDY QUESTION What is the potential impact of follicular fluid (FF) from infertile women with mild endometriosis (ME) on oocyte quality, especially on nuclear maturation and the meiotic spindle? SUMMARY ANSWER FF from infertile women with ME may compromise nuclear maturation and the meiotic spindles of in vitro matured bovine oocytes. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Controversial studies have sugges...