To study the time- and temperature-dependent survival of ovarian oocytes collected from postmortem carcass, ICR mice were killed and placed for different periods (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h) at different temperatures (25°C, 4°C and 37°C). After preservation, oocyte morphology, germinal vesicle (GV) oocyte number, oocyte meiotic maturation percentage, mitochondrial distribution and intracellular ...

BACKGROUND To better understand the differences between in vivo (IVO) and in vitro (IVM) matured oocytes, we studied the chronological changes in cortical granule (CG) distribution and nuclear progression during maturation, and the competence of CG release and embryo development of mouse oocytes matured under different conditions. METHODS Oocytes matured in vivo or in different culture media ...

Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from ovaries of bitches during anoestrus. The ultrastructural organisation of COCs was determined before and after 72 h in vitro maturation (IVM) by transmission electron microscopy. The aim of the study was to determine the quality of oocytes used for IVM and to assess cytoplasmic maturation of IVM metaphase (M) II oocytes. In addition, we examine...

In the present study, the response of Nili Ravi buffalo oocytes to recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (rhFSH) (Organon) on meiotic maturation in vitro was examined. Oocytes were matured in vitro in medium containing either 0 or 0.05 IU/ ml rhFSH and the stage of nuclear maturation recorded after 24 hours. The percentage of oocytes in the control group undergoing germinal vesicle bre...

Fully grown mouse oocytes isolated from large antral follicles and cultured in vitro complete their maturation up to the second metaphase with extrusion of the first polar body (1PB) with a 40/50 proportion (80%). When their cytoplasmic volume is, however, reduced before the onset of culture, the frequency of oocytes completing maturation gradually decreases. In the half oocytes, 66% (33/50) ex...

The germinal vesicle (GV) of follicle-enclosed oocytes in mice remains arrested at the dictyate state of meiosis. Upon releasing the oocytes from the follicles, the meiotic process resumes, leading to dissolution of the GV, suggesting that factors in the follicular constituents sustain the meiotic arrest of oocytes. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was demonstrated in the ovary and found to ...

The mammalian oocyte possesses powerful reprogramming factors, which can reprogram terminally differentiated germ cells (sperm) or somatic cells within a few cell cycles. Although it has been suggested that use of oocyte-derived transcripts may enhance the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells, the reprogramming factors in oocytes are undetermined, and even the identified proteins compos...

In canine species, in vitro maturation (IVM) rates of oocytes collected from anoestrous ovaries are low (<20%). Several IVM media have been tested without significant improvements. A critical step in the evaluation of culture conditions is the observation of the meiotic stage reached by the oocytes. The present study was designed to investigate the chromatin patterns of in vitro matured oocytes...