title: Enhancement of in vitro murine embryo development by recombinant leukemia inhibitory factor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human recombinant leukemia inhibitory factor (rLIF) has been shown to stimulate hatching of murine and ovine embryos in vitro. The temporal and dose-dependent effects of murine rLIF (mrLIF) and human rLIF (hrLIF) on embryo development in two different mouse strains were investigated in this work.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-cell embryos were recovered from the fallopian tubes of superovulated/mated females and cultured in Krebs medium plus bovine serum albumin in microdroplets under oil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the B6CBF1 strain, mrLIF significantly stimulated blastocyst formation and decreased embryo fragmentation/degeneration when added simultaneously at the initiation of culture or 24 hours thereafter. Human rLIF also had a positive effect on development. In the CD1 strain (lower fecundity), mrLIF dose-dependent effects were observed, with enhanced developmental stimulation achieved with higher doses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings confirm that hrLIF stimulates mouse embryo development in vitro and that different mouse strains show distinct responses to the cytokine. In addition, mrLIF enhances blastocyst formation and decreases embryo fragmentation when added to the embryo culture as early as the two-cell stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Hodgen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oehninger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; D008222:Lymphokines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins