Birth of piglets after OPS vitrification and transfer of compacted morula stage embryos with intact zona pellucida.
In swine, five to six days post-insemination, morulae and blastocysts are collected together after uterine flushing. The purpose of this study was to vitrify zona pellucida-intact morulae with Open Pulled Straw (OPS) technology and obtain piglets after transfer. Morulae (200) were vitrified after a two-step equilibration in ethylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide and sucrose in Hepes-buffered TCM199 + 20% NBCS medium (TCM). 2-6 morulae were loaded into OPS and plunged into liquid nitrogen. At embryo warming, a three-step dilution with decreasing concentrations of sucrose was applied. In each of 10 recipients, 20 morulae were transferred surgically. Day 25, gestation rate and the farrowing rate were 80% and 70%, respectively. The pregnant recipients farrowed from 1 to 8 piglets and the survival of total transferred embryos was 13%. Although survival rates are still compromised, OPS technology is therefore appropriate to cryopreserve porcine morulae with intact zona pellucida.
Berthelot
F
F
Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 6073 INRA-CNRS-Université F. Rabelais, Nouzilly, France. berthelo@tours.inra.fr
Martinat-Botté
F
F
Perreau
C
C
Terqui
M
M
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D009028:Morula; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D013552:Swine / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D015044:Zona Pellucida
D003451:Cryoprotective Agents