The in vitro developmental competence of equine oocytes is still low in comparison with other domestic mammals. A major factor affecting the viability of cells during in vitro culture is the increased oxidative stress. Oxidative modifications could be responsible for oocyte incompetence for in vitro maturation (IVM). Cysteamine, a glutathione (GSH) synthesis enhancer, has been shown to increase...

We evaluated the effect of three different cryodevices on membrane integrity, tubulin polymerization, maturation promoting factor (MPF) activity and developmental competence of in vitro matured (IVM) ovine oocytes. IVM oocytes were exposed during 3 min to 7.5% DMSO and 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) in TCM199 and 25 sec to 0.5 M sucrose, 16.5% DMSO and 16.5% EG, loaded in open pulled straws (OPS), c...

Techniques for in vitro production (IVP) of viable embryos have been thoroughly developed in several domestic species in view to improve breeding efficiency. When applied to wild life, these techniques may also help the maintenance of biodiversity through amplification of sparse animals offspring and facilitation of genetic material exchange. During the successive steps of IVP, i.e. oocyte in v...

This study was designed to investigate the effects of α-tocopherol and granulosa cells monolayer on nuclear maturation and cleavage rates of ovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). The COCs (n = 2814) were matured in maturation medium supplemented with various concentration of α-tocopherol (0, 5, 10, 15 μg/ml), oocytes were incubated at 39 °C with 5 % CO2 for 24 h in three culture systems: (a) m...

This study compared success of in-vitro maturation of rhesus monkey oocytes in protein-free versus serum-containing culture systems, assessed by embryo development subsequent to IVF. Four media were tested: (i) modified Connaught Medical Research Laboratories medium (mCMRL-1066); (ii) hamster embryo culture medium-10 (HECM-10); (iii) control: mCMRL-1066 + 20% bovine calf serum (BCS); (iv) HECM-...

Background: Despite great advances achieved in the field of in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM), almost all IVM media are supplemented with undefined component which not only pose the risk of pathogen transmission but also hinders our knowledge of molecular mechanisms of maturation. One of these components is serum that containing various concentration of unknown molecules affecting cellular proce...