In vitro production of equine embryos: state of the art.
In vitro embryo production is possible in the horse both clinically and for research applications. Oocytes may be collected from excised ovaries post-mortem, or from either immature follicles or stimulated pre-ovulatory follicles in the live mare. In vitro maturation of immature oocytes typically yields approximately 60% mature oocytes. As standard in vitro fertilization is not yet repeatable in the horse, fertilization is performed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Embryo culture requires medium with high glucose, at least during blastocyst development, and rates of blastocyst development similar to those for cattle (25% to 35%) may be obtained. Pregnancy rates after transfer of in vitro-produced blastocysts are similar to those for embryos recovered ex vivo.
Hinrichs
K
K
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4466, USA. khinrichs@cvm.tamu.edu
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary*; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000662:veterinary; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose; D006736:Horses / Q000196:embryology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000254:growth & development; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary
D003470:Culture Media; D005947:Glucose