Blastocyst formation by pig embryos resulting from in-vitro fertilization of oocytes matured in vitro.
Follicular oocytes collected from prepubertal gilts at a local slaughter house were matured (36 h), fertilized and developed in vitro. Of 785 embryos, 190 (24%) embryos cleaved to the 2-4 cell stages with blastomeres of regular size by 33 h after insemination. These cleaved embryos were surgically transferred into the oviducts of 4 synchronized recipient gilts and recovered from the uterine horns 4 or 7 days later: 13 morulae, 2 blastocysts and 1 expanded blastocyst were recovered after 4 days and 3 hatched blastocysts were recovered 7 days after transfer. Re-culture in vitro sustained further development of morulae recovered 4 days after transfer: 11 of 13 morulae had developed to the blastocyst/hatched blastocyst stages. Overall, 17 of 190 (9%) embryos developed to the blastocyst stage. The results indicate that pig oocytes can be matured and fertilized in vitro, and subsequently develop to the blastocyst stage.
Yoshida
M
M
Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, Japan.
Ishizaki
Y
Y
Kawagishi
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000502:physiology*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D005328:Fetal Viability; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine