• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.25-32
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• 2002

This study were performed to investigate the effect of Bisphenol A(BPA) administration on semen characteristic and body or organ weight in mice. In BPA administration for 15 days or 30 days, sperm concentration and viability were lower in group treated with BPA than in control group. The proportion of sperm abnormality were significantly(P＜0.05) increased in groups administrated with BPA for 15 or 30 days than in control group. The administration of BPA in mice didn't affect the body and reproductive organ weight such as testis, epididymis, vasicular gland and coagulatin gland. The spleen weight were significantly affect, but liver and kidney weight were not affect in BPA administration groups for 15 days or 30 days This studies indicate that the short or long term BPA administration in mice were noxious effects on the semen characteristics and organ weight, but didn't affect body weight and reproductive organs.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.189-197
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• 2009

Two-pore domain $K^+(K_{2P})$ channels contribute to setting the resting membrane potential in excitable and nonexcitable cells. However, the cellular or tissue distribution and function of $K_{2P}$ channels expressed in mammalian germ cells and reproductive organs have not yet been reviewed by researchers. In this review, we focus on expression, localization and expected properties of $K_{2P}$ channels in germ cells and reproductive organs. The $K_{2P}$ channels are expressed in human cytotrophoblast cells, myometrium, placental vascular system, uterine smooth muscle, and pregnant term tissue, suggesting that $K_{2P}$ channels might be involved in the processes of pregnance. The $K_{2P}$ channels are also expressed in mouse zygotes, monkey sperm, ovary, testis, germ cells, and embryos of Korean cattle. Interestingly, $K_{2P}$ channels are modulated by changes in temperature and oxygen concentration which play an important role in embryonic development. Also, $K_{2P}$ channels are responsible for $K^+$ efflux during apoptotic volume decreases in mouse zygotes. These expression patterns and properties of the $K_{2P}$ channels in reproductive organs and germ cells are likely to help the understanding of ion channel-related function in reproductive physiology.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.344-353
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• 2018

Objective: cAMP and mature promoting factor (MPF) play critical roles during the maturation of mammalian oocytes. The aim of this study was to produce the offspring from denuded oocytes (DOs) in mice by regulating cAMP and MPF. Methods: In this study, we used DOs at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage in mice and regulated levels of cAMP and MPF in DOs by adding Forskolin and PD166285 during in vitro maturation without follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, respectively. Results: Combined use of $50{\mu}M$ Forskolin for 3 h and $2.5{\mu}M$ PD166285 for additional 21 h enhanced the developmental competence of DOs, maturation rate of DOs was $76.71%{\pm}4.11%$, blastocyst rate was $18.33%{\pm}4.44%$ after parthenogenetic activation (PA). The DOs could successfully be fertilized with sperm in vitro, cleavage rate was $17.02%{\pm}5.82%$ and blastocyst rate was $5.65%{\pm}3.10%$. Besides, 2-cell in vitro fertilization embryos from DOs produced 4 normal live offspring (4/34). Conclusion: The results confirmed that the combination of Forskolin and PD166285 can induce DOs to complete meiosis process and produce normal offspring.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.283-291
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• 1997

In vitro development of bovine embryos is affected by many factors such as energy substrates, amino acids, and some growth factors. It has been reported that mRNA of insulin, PDGF and their receptors are detected in cow embryos, and that some chelating agents such as EDTA and transferrin have beneficial role on mouse and bovine embryos. The author hypothesized that insulin, transferrin arid PDGF added to a culture medium increase in vitro development of bovine embryos by chelating toxic substance(s) or increasing cell growth and metabolism. Immature oocytes from slaughtered ovaries of Holstein cows and heifers were matured for 24 hours in a TCM199 containing 10% fetal calf serum, FSH, LH and estradiol with granulosa cells in vitro. Matured oocytes were coincubated with sperm for 30 hours in a modified Tyrode's medium (IVF). Embryos cleaved to 2- to 4-cell at 30 hours after IVF were selected and cultured in a 30-$\mu$l drop of a synthetic oviduct fluid medium (SOFM) containing 0.8% BSA, Minimum Essential Medium essential and non-essential amino acids, and insulin, transferrin or PDGF for 9 days. Supplementation of a SOFM with insulin, and /or transferrin did not increase develop-mental rate to expanding and hatching blastocyst of 2- to 4-cell bovine embryos compared with control. The highest developmental rate to hatching blastocyst was shown when PDGF was added at the concentration of 10 ng /ml among the supplementing doses tested in the present study (p<0.05). Addition of PDGF without insulin to a SOFM could not increase embrye development, but combined addition of PDGF with insulin significantly increased (p<0.05) embryo development to hatching blastocyst (50%) compared with control (38%). In conclusion, insulin and PDGF supplemented to a SOFM may act synergistically and have beneficial effect on in vitro development of 2- to 4-cell bovine embryos matured and fertilized in vitro.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제46권6호
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• pp.957-966
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• 2004

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of BPA on reproductive characteristic and blood hematological and chemical values in mice. The male mice were intraperitoneally injected BPA in native control(no treatment), positive control(corn oil, 3$m\ell$/kg B.W), 0.05, 0.5 and 5.0mg BPA/kg B.W and female mice were injected BPA in control(corn oil, 3$m\ell$/kg B.W), 0.05, 0.5 and 5.0mg BPA/kg B.W with 5 times at 3 days interval for 14 days. The administration of BPA in male mice didn't affect the body and reproductive organ weight such as testis, epididymis, vesicular gland and coagulating gland. We found that the 5.0mg BPA group was significantly reduced the sperm concentration and increased the sperm abnormality compared to native, positive control and 0.05mg BPA groups(P<0.05), but any other effects were not found in sperm viability and motility in BPA treatment groups. The RBC, HB, HT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, albumin, BUN and total protein of blood hematological and chemical values in male were not different in all experimental groups(P>0.05). However, the value of WBC was slightly lower in BPA treatment groups than that of control groups and PLT was slightly higher in BPA groups than that of control groups, but not significantly defference among the experimental groups(P>0.05). In female mice, the effects of BPA on body weight didn’t affect in all experimental groups, but ovary weights in 0.5 and 5.0mg BPA groups were significantly increased compared to those in control and 0.05mg BPA group(P<0.05). The uterine weight in BPA groups was slightly higher than that of control group, but not significantly different in all experimental groups(P>0.05). The RBC, Hb, HT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, albumin and total protein of blood hematological and chemical values in female were not different in all experimental groups(P>0.05). The values of WBC and PLT in BPA groups were slightly higher than that of control, but not significantly different among the experimental groups. The concentration of BUN was the higher in BPA groups than that of control group. The histological evaluation of testis, ovary and uterus were not different in all experimental groups.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.87-92
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• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate in vitro/in vivo development of vitrified mouse oocytes. Mouse oocytes were vitrified using EFS30, 35 and 40 (30, 35 and 40% ethylene glycol, 18% ficoll and 0.5 M sucrose in M2 medium). After being exposed or vitrified-thawed, oocytes of normal morphology were inseminated in vitro by $1-2\times10^6/ml$ of epididymal sperm. The rates of fertilization, in vitro/in vivo development and cell number (inner cell mass and tropectoderm cell) of blastocysts in each treatment group were examined. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows: The cleavage rates were obtained in EFS35 containing 35% ethylene glycol higher than in EFS30 and EFS40. The development rate of vitrified-thawed oocytes to two-cell stage after in vitro fertilization (51.1%) was significantly different compared to that of exposed to vitrification solution without cooling (60.0%) and control (68.2%) (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in the blastocyst formation from the cleaved embryos among groups (75.0, 73.3 and 80.0%). Also, the mean number of cells per blastocysts of vitrified group $(92.5{\pm}2.9)$ was similar to that of the exposed $(98.5{\pm}5.3)$ and control $(100.9{\pm}4.8)$. In vivo development of the blastocysts derived from vitrified-thawed oocytes resulted in fetal development (50.7%) and implantation rates (80.0%) which are very similar to those of control (58.2, 78.2%). These results suggest that mouse oocytes could be cryopreserved using vitrification solution (EFS35) based on ethylene glycol.

• Development and Reproduction
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.97-104
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• 2002

In most mammals, mature oocyte-cumulus complexer(OCCs) ovulate into the oviduct where fertilization by sperm takes place. However, the complex that fail to fertilize eventually undergoes degeneration while they reside in the oviduct. Yet there is no blown mechanism how both oocyte and cumulus cells degenerate. Using human follicular fluid (hFF), bovine oviductal tissue extract (BOX) and mouse OCC, the present study aimed to find how the oviduct influence the viability of the oocyte and cumulus cells in vitro. There was no difference of oocyte maturation rate between the control and BOX-treated groups. However, there was a significant difference in the survival of cumulus cells between two groups. Cumulus cells cultured in the presence of hFF alone underwent initially expansion and then they formed monolayer in the culture dish. Even after 72 hr, they proliferated well and showed fibroblast-like morphology. Cumulus cells cultured in the presence of both hFF and BOX also expanded after 24 hr, however, after 72 hr culture, they eventually detached and degenerated. Cumulus cells cultured in the BOX alone gave a similar drastic result. When the cumulus cells cultured in the presence of BOX were stained with DAPI, their nuclei showed partial condensation and fragmentation. After detailed analysis of these cells by TUNEL assay, many nuclei of them exhibited well stained spots indicating the signs of apoptosis. Based upon these observations, it is suggested that BOX might possess a factor that leads mouse cumulus cells to undergo apoptosis in vitro.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.107-118
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• 2017

Although alternative test methods based on the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) are being developed to replace animal testing in reproductive and developmental toxicology, they are still in an early stage. Consequently, we aimed to develop alternative test methods in male animals using mouse spermatogonial stem cells (mSSCs). Here, we modified the OECD TG 489 and optimized the in vitro comet assay in our previous study. This study aimed to verify the validity of in vitro tests involving mSSCs by comparing their results with those of in vivo tests using C57BL/6 mice by gavage. We selected hydroxyurea (HU), which is known to chemically induce male reproductive toxicity. The 50% inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$) value of HU was 0.9 mM, as determined by the MTT assay. In the in vitro comet assay, % tail DNA and Olive tail moment (OTM) after HU administration increased significantly, compared to the control. Annexin V, PI staining and TUNEL assays showed that HU caused apoptosis in mSSCs. In order to compare in vitro tests with in vivo tests, the same substances were administered to male C57BL/6 mice. Reproductive toxicity was observed at 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day as measured by clinical measures of reduction in sperm motility and testicular weight. The comet assay, DCFH-DA assay, H&E staining, and TUNEL assay were also performed. The results of the test with C57BL/6 mice were similar to those with mSSCs for HU treatment. Finally, linear regression analysis showed a strong positive correlation between results of in vitro tests and those of in vivo. In conclusion, the present study is the first to demonstrate the effect of HU-induced DNA damage, ROS formation, and apoptosis in mSSCs. Further, the results of the current study suggest that mSSCs could be a useful model to predict male reproductive toxicity.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.33-46
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• 2005

연구목적: ADAMs은 metalloprotease/disintegrin domain을 가진 transmemebrane glycoprotein으로써 지금까지 30개 이상의 ADAM 및 10개 이상의 ADAMTS가 알려져 있다. 이들의 기능은 포유동물의 수정 시 sperm-egg binding과 fusion, myoblast fusion, integrin과의 결합 등에 직접 관여하거나, TNF-alpha 등의 생체신호전달물질이 세포로부터 분비될 때에 이들의 구조를 변화시켜 활성화시키는 효소작용, 그리고 dendritic cell differentiation 등에 관여하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 자궁내막 조직에서의 유전자 및 단백질 발현 여부에 관해서는 거의 보고되어 있지 않고 있다. 본 연구에서는 착상 전후 시기의 생쥐 자궁조직에서 ADAM-8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17 그리고 ADAMTS-1의 유전자가 발현하는 지를 알아보았다. 연구 재료 및 방법: 본 연구에서는 생쥐의 자궁조직을 대상으로 ADAM-8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17 그리고 ADAMTS-1을 선정하여, 초기 임신 기간에서의 유전자 발현 여부를 조사하였고 이 결과를 바탕으로 자궁조직에서의 이들 유전자들의 생리적인 기능을 규명하고자 하였다. 결 과: 임신한 생쥐 자궁조직에서의 ADAM-8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 17 그리고 ADAMTS-1의 유전자 및 단백질의 발현 양상을 RT-PCR 방법을 이용하여 알아본 결과, 조사된 ADAM 종류와 임신 날짜별로 다르게 나타났다. ADAM-8의 유전자 전사체는 임신 1일째 매우 강하게 발현되었으나 임신 3일째로 진행되면서 감소하다가 이후 다시 임신 5일째가 되면서 증가하는 양상을 보였다. ADAM-9, 10, 17 그리고 ADAMTS-1의 경우는 임신 1일째에서 5일째까지 유전자의 발현 양상이 크게 변하지 않았고 ADAM-12와 ADAM-15의 유전자 전사체는 임신 1일에서 5일로 진행되면서 현저하게 증가되는 양상을 보였다. 이후 임신 6일에서 8일에서는 생쥐 배아가 착상된 부위와 비 착상부위로 나누어 유전자의 발현 양상을 관찰한 결과, 조사된 ADAM 모두 비착상 부위보다 착상부위에서 유전자 전사체의 발현이 크게 증가되는 것으로 나타났다. 결 론: 이상의 결과로 미루어 ADAM 유전자는 임신초기 착상과정과 임신 단계에 따른 자궁의 조직 재구성에 중요한 역할을 할 것으로 생각된다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.103-108
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• 1996

Through the previous studies(I,II), it was observed that human follicular fluid(HFF) was more effective than human fetal cord serum(HFCS) on promoting meiotic resumption of oocytes and improving embryonic development of mouse in vitro. On the basis of these results, we have gradually exchanged HFCS with HFF as protein supplement in human ART. This study was performed to investigate the efficiency of HFF on improving the pregnancy rate in ART. Oocytes were retrieved transvaginally from patients treated with pituitary suppression with GnRH-agonist and ovarian stimulation with human menopausal gonadotro-pin(HMG) and pure follicle stimulating hormone(FSH). Aspirated oocytes were rinsed and cultured in TCM-199 containing HFF, and the concentrations of HFF were adjusted to 10, 20, and 30% according to the use for insemination, embryo growth and embryo transfer, respectively. As possible as, we tried to do embryo transfer into fallopian tube to mimic the coincidence of the cell stage with the place of sojourn in vivo, so we performed various ART programs(IVF & ET; in vitro fertilization, ZIFT; zygote intra fallopian-tube transfer, ZIFT & ET) according to the tubal conditions of patients. On the while, intra cytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI) was used to assist IVF of the patients who had shown poor standard IVF results by immunological or severe male factor. Of the 255 cycles of ART programs using HFF as protein supplement, 118 cycles were turn out to be succeeded in pregnancy(46.2%, per cycle, p<0.05), while 21 pregnancies were achieved in the 69 cycles using HFCS(30.4%). The 255 cycles using HFF were subdivided into cycles with the type of ART programs, and each pregnancy rate of the ART programs were 44.7% (IVF & ET, 76/170 cycles), 53.4%(ZIFT, 31/58 cycles) and 40.7% (ZIFT & ET, 11/27 cycles), respectively. In the 61 ICSI cycles using HFF, 28 cycles succeed in pregnancy(45.9%), while 7 pregnancies were obtained in the 17 ICSI cycles using HFCS. Also the ongoing pregnancy rate in the group using HFF(78.8%, 93/118 cycles) was higher than that in the group using HFCS(61.9%). Therefore, we found that the use of HFF as protein supplement was more suitable and effective than the use of HFCS to improve the pregnancy rate in ART.