title: Fertilization and culture of rabbit oocytes in hydrogel chambers implanted in the peritoneal cavity of mouse recipients.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether in vivo fertilization and culture using a hydrogel chamber was possible. Hydrogel chambers were made from the mixture of low-acid hema, as a monomer, and tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TGD) and ethylene glycol (EG), as the cross-linkers. Rabbit oocytes and spermatozoa were transferred into the lumen of the hydrogel chambers which were filled with chemically-defined culture medium containing no protein. The chambers containing the rabbit oocytes and spermatozoa were implanted within the mouse peritoneal cavity, and were examined after recovery from the chambers following 84 hours of preservation. A total of 88 oocytes preserved after 84 hours in pHema hydrogel chambers implanted in the peritoneal cavity of female mice resulted in 29 morulae and 46 blastocysts. Thus, demonstrating that fertilization and culture can occur inside of the hydrogel chamber.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Taejon, 305-764 Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kim