Evaluation of the effect of interleukin-6 and human extracellullar matrix on embryonic development.
Extracellular matrices and their associated growth factors can modulate the in-vitro growth of cells. In this study, the effects of culture substrata and the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) on embryonic development were investigated. In-vitro fertilized mouse oocytes were pooled and randomly distributed amongst treatment groups. The test treatments were: (i) IL-6, at either 500 or 1000 pg/ml; (ii) human extracellular matrix (HECM) applied to organ culture dishes at either 5.0 or 10.0 microg/ml; and (iii) HECM and IL-6 combined. A total of 1285 embryos was evaluated. The effect of IL-6 on embryos was dose dependent. Treated embryos exhibited higher blastulation and hatching rates than untreated control embryos. Culture of embryos on human matrix proteins versus standard culture surfaces significantly improved in-vitro hatching. The combination of both of these treatments was superior to the medium alone control, and the mean cell count per blastocyst was higher (131.7 +/- 29.7 versus 82. 5 +/- 14.3 in control embryos; P < 0.0001). In a pilot study with human triploid embryos, the HECM/IL-6 culture system appeared to support embryonic compaction, blastulation and hatching. This work suggests that extracellular matrix components in combination with growth factors/cytokines may be another avenue for formulating more physiological culture systems.
Desai
N
N
Department of Reproductive Biology, Univ. MacDonald Women's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Av., Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Scarrow
M
M
Lawson
J
J
Kinzer
D
D
Goldfarb
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D003470:Culture Media; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry
D003470:Culture Media; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6