title: Non-invasive measurement of nutrient uptake by single cultured pre-implantation mouse embryos.
abstract: The uptake of pyruvate and glucose by single, cultured mouse embryos has been measured non-invasively throughout the pre-implantation period. The embryos, derived from CBA x C57F1 females and F1 males were removed from the oviducts on day 1 or day 2 following mating, and cultured to the blastocyst stage in M16 medium. Each day they were removed from culture and incubated in 20 nl medium M2 for 3 h. Serial approximately 0.5-nl samples were analysed for pyruvate and glucose by an ultramicrofluorescence technique. Pyruvate uptake exceeded that of glucose until the 8-cell/morula stage, when glucose consumption increased dramatically. The morphological development and patterns of nutrient uptake by embryos removed on day 2 resembled more closely those of freshly collected embryos than of embryos removed on day 1. These methods will enable the biochemistry of early embryos to be monitored non-invasively prior to transferring them into the uterus of recipient females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Leese
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011773:Pyruvates / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011773:Pyruvates; D005947:Glucose