title: Ethylene glycol-supplemented calcium-free media improve zona penetration of vitrified rat oocytes by sperm cells.
abstract: Cryopreservation of matured oocytes is a useful technique because the oocytes can be used for some assisted reproductive technologies after warming. Even though rats, like mice, have been used in various research fields including reproductive technology, information about cryopreservation of rat oocytes is limited. The objective of the present study was to improve the vitrification protocol for matured rat oocytes. To determine the optimal equilibration time, oocytes were equilibrated in 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) + 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + 20% fetal calf serum (FCS) for 1, 4, 7 or 10 min at 24 C and then 15% EG + 15% DMSO + 0.5 M sucrose + 20% FCS for 1 min at 24 C before being plunged into liquid nitrogen on Cryotops. Oocytes exposed to equilibration medium for 4 min showed higher survival and cleavage rates after artificial activation than those of oocytes exposed for 1, 7 or 10 min. The survival and cleavage rates of vitrified oocytes after activation were 98.3 and 78.4%, respectively. However, the perivitelline spaces of most of the vitrified/warmed oocytes (6/168, 3.6%) could not be penetrated by sperm after in vitro fertilization, and cortical granule exocytosis (CGE) was observed in the oocytes. Therefore, the inhibitory effect of calcium and cryoprotectants in vitrification medium on CGE was examined. In most of the oocytes vitrified in calcium-free media, CGE was strongly suppressed independent of cryoprotectants. Oocytes vitrified in EG-supplemented calcium-free media showed high survival rates after warming (79.4%). After artificial activation, the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates of the oocytes were also high (72.8 and 23.1%, respectively). The zona penetration rate of vitrified/warmed oocytes was dramatically improved by using EG-supplemented calcium-free media after in vitro fertilization (111/155, 63.9%). Thus, our data suggest that EG-supplemented calcium-free media improve zona penetration of vitrified rat oocytes by sperm cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Azabu University, Japan.
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Yasunari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seita
authors.forename: Tomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kashiwazaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects; D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D019855:Ethylene Glycol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D019855:Ethylene Glycol; D002118:Calcium; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide