• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1999

The objective of this study was to optimize the selection of sperm sources, optimal culture systems and vitrification method depends on sperm sources. The oocytes were inseminated with either KPN 105, 114, 191, SNU 101, 102, 103 or epididymis and then embryos inseminated were cultured in oviductal cell co-culture or HECM-6 as defined me dium. The blastocysts produced were pooled according to sperm sources as KPN, SNU or epididymis and then vitrified by OPP vitrification method. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The cleavage(86.2 or 84.7%) and development rates to blastocyst (30.6 or 32.0%) were not significantly different between oviductal cell co-culture or HECM-6 culture systems(P<0.05). 2. To determine the optimal sperm sources for using IVF in this system, cleavage rates in KPN 191 and SNU 101 (74.2, 55.8%) were significantly lower rather than those in KPN 105, 114, SNU 102, 103 or epididymis (86.7, 85.1, 89.8, 85.5 or 81.2%), but development rates to blastocyst in KPN 114, SNU 103 or epididymis sperm (30.0, 33.0 or 28.6%) were significantly higher rater than those in KPN 105, 191, SNU 101, 102(21.4, 15.4, 14.9 or 25.4%), respectively (P<0.05). 3. The blastocysts produced were pooled according to sperm sources as KPN, SNU or epididymis and then vitrified by OPP vitrification method. The survival rates were not significantly different among sperm sources (89.6%: 43/48 ; 90.1%: 46/51 ; 83.3% : 20/24). These results obtained indicate that the defined medium, HECM-6, could be use to produce of IVP bovine embryos. Since the frozen semen must be required to maintain of unvariation data in IVP embryo production system, KPN 114 and SNU 103 produced in our laboratory were useful for this purpose. The blastocysts produced by different sperm sources as KPN, SNU or epididymis were vitrified by OPP vitrification method and survived very high rates. The OPP vitrification method could be susceptibility to use of IVP bovine blastocyst embryos.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.239-249
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• 2002

Embryos derived from pig oocytes matured in mSOF are able to develop to blastocysts after IVF. Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of two maturation media (TCM-199 vs mSOF) on maturation rate, fertilization parameters, including penetration, polyspermy, male pronuclear formation, and the mean number of sperm penetrated per oocyte. Experiment 2 and Experiments 3 examined the effects of two maturation media on zona pellucida solubility and cortical granule distribution by transmissible electron microscopy, respectively. Experiment 4 assessed the effects of two maturation media on the in vitro embryo cleavage rate and development to blastocyst. Lastly, experiment 5 examined the cell number of blastocyst. An effect of media (P<0.05) was detected for mSOF on the mean number of sperm per oocyte. In TCM group, zona digestion time (196.5$\pm$15.5 vs 131.6$\pm$20.1 before IVF, 397.5$\pm$30.3s vs 185.3$\pm$16.4s after IVF, p<0.05) was higher in TCM-199 group. No significant effects of media was observed on cortical granule distribution between two groups by TEM. An effect (P<0.05) was observed on embryo development to blastocyst (16% vs 8%) but not on cleavage rates. No significant effects of media was observed on total cell number of blastocyst. We found that the high mean number of sperm penetrated per oocyte and the weaker zona pellucida on the basis of the digestion time was shown in pig oocytes matured in mSOF, however, porcine oocyte maturation with supplemented synthetic oviduct fluid medium (mSOF) resulted in blastocyst cell numbers comparable to those observed with Tissue Culture Medium 199.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2000

This study was conducted to establish the optimal culture conditions for in vitro production of bovine embryos derived from slaughter house ovaries. Cumulus-oocyte- complexes (COCs) collected by aspiration from follicles of 2~7 mm in diameter were matured in Ham's F-10 medium supplemented with 0.01 $\mu\textrm{g}$/m1 epidermal growth factor (EGF) at 39$^{\circ}C$ in a humidified atmosphere of 5% $CO_2$in air. After 24 hrs of culture, the oocytes were co-cultured with epididymal sperm selected off by Percoll-density gradient in TALP medium for 24 hrs. The presumptive zygotes were cultured in HECM-6 medium for 3 d post-insemination, and followed by cultured in TCM199 medium until 7 to 10d post-insemination. The cultures were compared of their cleavage and development into later stage in culture medium by additions of different protein sources (PVA, BSA and BCS) and by different embryo density. The rates of cleavage and development rates into blastocyst were not significantly (P<0.05) different among the culture media containing with BSA (75.0% and 40.5%), BCS (76.7% and 38.0%) and PVA (72.5% and 42.2%), respectively. Significantly (P<0.05) higher blastocysts rates were obtained in culturing of 30 and 40 embryos in each 50$\mu$l droplets of culture medium than in 5, 10 and 20 embryos. These results indicate that the optimal density of embryos is 30~40 embryos in a 50$\mu$l droplet of culture medium. Furthermore there is no effect of different protein sources on early embryonic development.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of macromolecule in a maturation medium on nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH) level of oocytes, and embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in pigs. Immature pig oocytes were cultured in maturation medium that was supplemented with each polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), pig follicular fluid (pFF) or newborn calf serum (NBCS) during the first 22 h and the second 22 h. Oocyte maturation was not influenced by the source of macromolecules during in vitro maturation (IVM). Embryo cleavage and cell number in blastocyst after PA was altered by the source of macromolecule but no difference was observed in blastocyst formation among treatments. Oocytes matured in PVA-PVA medium showed lower rates of oocyte-cell fusion (70.4% vs. 77${\sim}$82%) and embryo cleavage (75% vs. 86${\sim}$90%) after SCNT than those matured in other media but blastocyst formation was not altered (13${\sim}$27%) by different macromolecules. pFF added to IVM medium significantly increased the intracellular GSH level of oocytes compared to PVA and NBCS, particularly when pFF was supplemented during the first 22 h of IVM. Our results demonstrate that source of macromolecule in IVM medium influences developmental competence of oocytes after PA and SCNT, and that pFF supplementation during the early period (first 22 h) of IVM increases intracellular GSH level of oocytes.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 1995

Production of calves after transfer of nuclear transplant embryos is the latest technology to be applied in commercial livestock breeding. The objective of this study was to establish an efficient procedure to produce offsprings from nuclear transplant embryos. The fusion rates (72.7% vs. 80.8%), cleavage rates (62.5% vs. 71.4%) and rates of development in vitro (12.0% vs. 15.2%) of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between 30 and 40h maturation age of cytoplast. The in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos as nuclei donor were used in this system of bovine nuclear transplantation. Fusion rates of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos (73.0 and 79.2%, respectively). The percentage of embryos reaching the morulae or blastocysts were 21.8% for in vivo-derived embryos and 11.9% for in vitro-derived embryos (p<0.01). Pregnancy rates after embryo transfer of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos (45.9 and 40.5%, respectively). However, calving rates after embryo transfer of nuclear transplant embryos were significantly higher in the in vivo-derived embryos than in vitro (p<0.01). Further research for age of cytoplast and use of in vitro-derived embryos as nuclei donor is required in this system. In conclusion, these results clearly show that the use of in vitro-derived oocytes as recipient cytoplast can improve the nuclear transplant system for genetic progress in cattle.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 1997

In vitro fertilization(IVF) derived morula and blastocyst embryos were bisected by a simple method and cultured in vitro without zona pellucida And also bisected embryos were frozen-thawed and cultured in vitro) to evaluate the survival rate. The results obtained were as follows : The average number of grade I or II immature follicular oocytes recovered by slicing method per ovary was 11.9 from 142 ovaries. Following in vitro fertilization, the rates of cleavage and in vitro development to morula and blatocyst were 61.7 and 32.2% respectively. The successful bisection rate of IVE embryos was 67.51%, and the embryos of blastocyst stage were bisected successfully at significantly(P

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 1998

This study was conducted to examine the viability of nuclear transfer bovine embryos following embryo transfer. Donor embryos were treated with nocodazole to arrest their cell-cycle-stage at mitotic(M) phase. After releasing from nocodazole blastomeres were separated and transferred into the enucleated oocytes(BC), or cultured in medium with aphidicolin. Freshly cleaved blastomeres within 1.5h after cleavage(AC) and non-cleaved ones up to 3h after releasing from nocodazole(NC) were transferred into the enucleated oocytes. Blastocysts derived from nuclear transfer were transferred to Day 7~8 recipient cows. Some blastocysts were vitrified and thawed before embryo transfer. Developmental rates to the blastocyst stage were higher in AC(18.1%, P<0.05) than BC(8.6%) and NC(5.1%). Blastocyst development slightly enhanced with aphidicolin(1~2$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml) treatment(16.9~22.6%) compared to non treated control(11.1%). Survival rate fo vitrified nuclear transfer embryos after thawing was 75%(24/32). Twnety-three vitrified nuclear transfer embryos and 3 fresh ones were transferred to 23 recipients, 6 heads were pregnant and 1 male calf(24 kg) was born from a recipient cow recevied one vitrifiedthawed nuclear transfer embryo at 277 days after embryo transfer. This result suggests that the nuclear transfer embryos can developed to term after vitrification andembryo transfer.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.27.1-27.6
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• 2015

This study was designed to investigate the effects of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol and granulosa cells monolayer on nuclear maturation and cleavage rates of ovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs). The COCs (n = 2814) were matured in maturation medium supplemented with various concentration of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol (0, 5, 10, $15{\mu}g/ml$), oocytes were incubated at $39^{\circ}C$ with 5 % $CO_2$ for 24 h in three culture systems: (a) maturation medium (MM; n = 884), (b) co-cultured with granulosa cells (CG; n = 982) and (c) co-cultured with granulosa cells and cells were further cultured in MM for 12 h (CG + 12hMM; n = 948). Our results showed that ${\alpha}$-tocopherol had no effect on GVBD and MII as compared to control group, but when ${\alpha}$-tocopherol added to maturation medium the rate of cleavage decreased. This indicates interaction of above mentioned factors in any of the treatments showed no significant differences on the rate of maturation and cleavage stages (MII, GVBD and cleavage) (p > 0.05). The oocytes co-cultured with granulosa cells for 24 h had beneficial effects on cleavage rate. The maximum MII and cleavage rates were achieved when oocytes had extra 12 h culture in the maturation medium without granulosa cells. Results also showed our modified co-culture system (CG + 12hMM), improved rates of MII and the cleavage in comparison with other studied maturation systems.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.12a
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• pp.123-124
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• 2003

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.181-184
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• 2016

The aim was to report a healthy live birth using re-vitrified-warmed cleavage-stage embryos derived from supernumerary warmed embryos after frozen embryo transfer (ET) in a patient with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). The case was a 39-year-old female with a history of polycystic ovarian syndrome and adenomyosis, along with RIF. After ovarian hyperstimulation, 33 cumulus-oocyte complexes were retrieved and fertilized with conventional in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Because of the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, 16 grade B and C embryos were vitrified. After 3 and 6 months, 3 and 4 B-C warmed embryos were transferred to the uterus, respectively. However, implantation did not take place. Ten months later, four embryos were warmed, two grade B 8-cell embryos were transferred, and two embryos were re-vitrified. One year later, the two re-vitrified cleavage-stage embryos were warmed, which resulted in a successful live birth. This finding showed that following first warming, it is feasible to refreeze supernumerary warmed embryos for subsequent ET in patients with a history of RIF.