title: Pellet freezing of in vitro produced bovine embryos using dry ice.
abstract: In vitro produced bovine embryos were frozen by pellet freezing or vitrification method. In the pellet freezing method, the embryos were cooled on the dry ice and then frozen as pellets. At warming, the pellets were immersed directly into 0.5 M sucrose. The survival rates of blastocysts frozen by the pellet freezing method were higher (P<0.01) in 40% ethylene glycol (EG) than those in the lower concentrations (20 and 30% EG). Higher survival rates of blastocysts frozen by the pellet freezing method were obtained but the development rates did not differ, as compared with those by the vitrification method. There were no significant differences between the pellet freezing and vitrification method in the frequencies of post-thaw survival of hatched blastocysts. These results demonstrate that the pellet freezing method using dry ice can be used successfully for the cryopreservation of blastocysts.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Reproduction Biotechnology, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otoi
authors.forename: A SS
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Abdoon
authors.forename: M TK
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Omaima
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki