• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.35-41
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• 2009

This study was undertaken to evaluate how ${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol (bME), an exogenous antioxidant, interacts with preantral follicles cultured in vitro. Mouse primary or secondary follicles were cultured in glutathione (GSH)-free or GSH-containing medium supplemented with bME of various concentrations, and the growth of preantral follicles, the maturation of intrafollicular oocytes and preimplantation development after parthenogenesis were monitored. In experiment 1, 0, 25, 50 or 100 ${\mu}M$ bME was added to culture medium supplemented with 100 ${\mu}M$ GSH or not. When secondary follicles were cultured in GSH-free medium, no significant change in follicle growth was detected after bME addition. However, exposure to bME in the presence of GSH significantly inhibited both follicle growth and oocyte maturation. Such detrimental effect became prominent in primary follicles and bME strongly inhibited follicle growth in the absence of GSH. In conclusion, there are stage-dependent effects of bME on follicle growth and oocyte maturation, and selective use of antioxidants contributes to establishing an efficient follicle culture system.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제20권8호
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• pp.1190-1195
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• 2007

This study was conducted to improve efficiency of a follicle culture system without reducing developmental competence of intrafollicular oocytes. Preantral follicles (100 to $125{\mu}m$ in diameter) of F1 hybrid (B6CBAF1) mice were cultured singly for 216 h in modified ${\alpha}$-MEM-glutamax medium, to which 2.5 IU/ml hCG and epidermal growth factor was added 16 h prior to the end of culture. Medium change was either performed three times (54 h interval), twice (72 h interval), once (108 h interval), or not at all (216 h interval). Maturation (progression to the metaphase II stage) of intrafollicular oocytes was detected from 4 days after culture in the three-times change treatment, while all treatments yielded mature oocytes from day 5 of culture. Compared with the three-times change, decreasing the change frequency to once did not reduce the capacity to begin maturation (germinal vesicle breakdown of 82 to 86%), to mature (78 to 79%) and to develop into blastocysts after parthenogenetic activation (29 to 32%). Morphological parameters were similar among these treatments. Except for the no medium change treatment, similar colony-forming activity of inner cell mass cells after culturing of blastocysts in leukemia inhibitory factor-containing medium was detected, while the morphology of the colony-forming cells deteriorated in the change-once treatment compared with the change twice or three-times. In conclusion, the efficiency of the preantral follicle culture system could be improved by reducing frequency of medium change up to a 72 h interval (three times in total 216 h culture) without decreasing developmental competence of oocytes.

• 한국동물학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.175-182
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• 1990

참구개구와 옴개구리의 여포를 생체외 배양하면서 progesterone (P$_4$)생성과 난자의 성숙 및 cyclic(cAMP)의 조절작용을 조사하였다.참개구리의 여포에 뇌하수체 추출물(frog pituitary homogenate.FPH)을 처리하면 농도에 의존하여 여포의 P$_4$생성이 증가하였으며 난자의 성숙(핵붕괴)이 일어났다. 이들 여포들을 배양하면서 3시간 간격으로 호르몬이 여포에 축적된 양, 배양액에 분비된 양 및 난자의 성숙율을 조사한 결과 FPH처리군에서 P$_4$는 3-6시간에 최고치 (여포내,약 400pg/여포;분비량,약 800pg/여포)를 나타내었으며 난자의 핵붕괴는 9-12시간에 일어났다. 상기 여포들과 같은 조건으로 배양하면서 forskolin과 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine(IBMX)을 배양액에 처리하여 간접적으로 여포내 cAMP의 농도를 높여주면 FPH와 유사한 양사으로 호르몬의 생성을 촉진하였다. 그러나 난자의 성숙은 전혀 일어나지 않았다. 옴개구리의 여포를 배양하면서 FPH를 처리하였을 때는 아무 처리를 하지않은 대조군과 비교하여 거의 P$_4$의 생성을 촉진하지 않았으며 난자의 성숙도 유도하지 못했다, 그러나 이들에게 forskolin과 IBMX를 처리하면 P$_4$의 생성을 현저하게 촉진하여 다량의 P$_4$가 여포와 (약 800pg/여포) 배양액에 (1700pg/여포)축적되었다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.25-34
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• 1988

The intrafo1licular echoes of cumulus oophoruses within ovarian follicles were assessed with the use of ultrasound in 86 women taking part in an in vitro fertilization(IVF) or gamete intrafallopian transfer(GIFT) program, stimulated with pure follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH)/human menopausal gonadotropin(hMG)/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). When intrafo1licular echoes were clearly separated from the follicular wall or relatively dispersed within the follicle, they were considered to be a dissociated cumulus, and when they were only slightly prominent from the follicular wall, they were suspected to be a nondissociated cumulus. A cumulus was seen in 62.1% of the follicles larger than 10 mm diameter and 75.1% of them were dissociated. The larger the follicles in size, the more the cumuluses in number and dissociation. The number of follicles and intrafollicular echoes per woman was not different whether or not she would be pregnant, but the number of dissociated cumuluses was significantly more in pregnant women. The number of observed dissociated cumuluses correlated significantly with the number of recovered mature oocytes. When an intrafollicular echo is seen, it can be taken as evidence of a sign of maturity of that particular follicle and oocyte. Ultrasonographic monitoring of intrafollicular echoes and follicular size is very helpful to predict follicular maturation in ovulation stimulation cycles.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.929-939
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• 1996

The present study was undertaken to establish a relationship between bovine follicle size and oocyte diameter, compare the nuclear maturation competence of oocytes of different diameter groups and the nuclear maturation changes in Korean Native Cattle according to in vitro maturation period. To compare the relationship between follicle size and oocyte diameter, follicles were dissected, measured, and assigned to one of the following size categories($4{\geq}mm$, 3-4mm, 2-3mm, 1-2mm, and < 1mm), investigate the maturation competence in the different-sized oocytes, which were divided into three groups( < $110{\mu}m$, 110 - < $120{\mu}m$, and ${\geq}120{\mu}m$). Oocytes were cultured in the culture medium during 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24hrs, respectively, stained, and measured the nuclear maturation degree according to period. When compared the relationship between follicle size and intrafollicular oocyte diameter, oocyte diameters of three groups of ${\geq}3mm$ follicle-sized were significantly higher than < 3mm (p<0.01). After in vitro maturation, the rates reached to MI stage of < $110{\mu}m$ oocyte groups(25%) was higher than $110-120{\mu}m$ and ${\geq}120{\mu}m$ oocyte groups(11 and 10%) reached to the same stage(p<0.01), and the rates throughout MII stage of $110-120{\mu}m$ and ${\geq}120{\mu}m$ and < $110{\mu}m$(70 and 76%) groups were higher than < $110{\mu}m$(35%)(p<0.01). When nuclear maturation rates were measured according to period, < 6hr groups(7 and 10%) showed lower rates reached to MI than ${\geq}12hr$ groups(100%), 24hr groups(76%) revealed higher rates throughout MII than 18hr groups(40%). These results indicate that the preparation of oocyte for the production of in vitro fertilization embryos and nuclear transplantation ones could be adapted, as follicle increased up to appointed size there was a corresponding increase in oocyte diameter, and differences of nuclear maturation rate revealed according to oocyte diameter and maturation period.

• 한국동물생명공학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.35-39
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• 2019

This study aimed to recover the ovarian function through in vitro culture of preantral follicles from aged mice. First, we isolated the preantral follicles from ovaries of sixty-seven-week old B6D2F1 mice with decreased fecundity to know how many follicles were present in them, which was 6 preantral follicles including 2 primary, 2 early secondary and late secondary follicles from 8 aged mice. It was confirmed that a few follicles (~2) were present in aged mice through histological analysis compared to adult mice as control. The 9 days of in vitro culture of preantal follicles showed in vitro growth and induced maturation after treatment with hCG (2.5 IU/mL) and EGF (5 ng/mL). Cumulus cells in the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were removed using hyaluronidase and oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) and GV breakdown (GVBD) were obtained from preantral follicle culture of aged mice in vitro. In conclusion, these observations demonstrated that there still were a few preantral follicles in the ovaries of 67 week-old mice, which we were able to culture in vitro and oocytes were obtained from them. This study proposed an in vitro culture system using preantral follicle as a therapeutic strategy for fertility preservation in humans for assisted reproductive medicine.

• 한국동물생명공학회지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.117-122
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to establish an in vitro culture system for ovarian preantral follicles of B6D2F1. First, we optimized the in vitro preantral-follicle culture by culture duration, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) type, and activin A concentration. Duration of in vitro culture for 9, 11, and 13 days was sufficient for the normal development of preantral follicles to antral follicles. Formation of cumulus cell-oocyte complex (COC) was induced by treatment with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 2.5 IU/mL) and epidermal growth factor (EGF; 5 ng/mL). In addition, metaphase II (MII) oocytes formed during this in vitro culture of preantral follicles. In vitro preantralfollicle culture for 9 days showed higher rates of growth and maturation, thus yielding a greater number of antral follicles, and there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the number of MII oocytes (that formed from these preantral follicles via differentiation) between the 9-day culture and 11-day or 13-day culture. The follicles cultured for 9 days contained a tightly packed well-defined COC, whereas in follicles cultured for 11 days, the COC was not well defined (spreading was observed in the culture dish); the follicles cultured for 13 days disintegrated and released the oocyte. Second, we compared the growth of the preantral follicles in vitro in the presence of various FSH types. There were no significant differences in the growth and maturation rates and in differentiation into MII oocytes during in vitro culture between preantral follicles supplemented with FSH from Merck and those supplemented with FSH from Sigma. To increase the efficiency of MII oocyte formation, the preantral follicles were cultured at different activin A concentrations (0 to 200 ng/mL). The control follicles, which were not treated with activin A, showed the highest rate of differentiation into antral follicles and into MII oocytes among all the groups (0 to 200 ng/mL). Therefore, activin A (50 to 200 ng/mL) had a negative effect on oocyte maturation. Thus, in this study, we propose an in vitro system of preantral-follicle culture that can serve as a therapeutic strategy for fertility preservation of human oocytes for assisted reproductive medicine, for conservation of endangered species, and for creation of superior breeds.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제25권5호
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• pp.629-634
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• 2012

This study was conducted to improve the yield of mature oocytes from in vitro-culture of ovarian primary follicles by optimizing follicle retrieval from neonatal mice of different ages. Primary follicles of 75 to $99{\mu}m$ in diameter were collected daily from 7- to 14-day-old neonatal mice, and subsequently cultured in ${\alpha}$-MEM medium. Number of primary follicles isolated, growth of the follicle during in vitro-culture and maturation of intrafollicular oocytes were monitored. Overall, mean number of preantral follicles per animal was improved from 10.7 to 88.7 as the age of follicle donors was increased from 7 to 14-day-old. Number of primary follicles was increased gradually up to 11-day-old (35.7 follicle per an animal), then reduced to 29 in 14-day-old (p = 0.0013). More follicles retrieved from 10-day-old or 11-day-old females maintained their morphological normality at the end of primary culture than the follicles retrieved from 9-day-old. Of those cultured, primary follicles retrieved from 11-day-old mice yielded largest larger number of early secondary follicles than the follicles retrieved from in the other ages (39 vs. 13 to 29%). More than 3.3-times increase (0.86 to 2.86; p<0.05) in an average number of mature oocytes per animal was observed in the group of 11-day-old, compared with 9-day-old. However, no difference was found in the percentage of primary follicles developing into the pseudoantral stage (21 to 30%; p = 0.5222) and in the percentage of oocytes mucified (32 to 39%; p = 0.5792). In conclusion, a positive correlation between retrieval time and follicle growth was detected, which influences the efficiency to derive mature oocytes by follicle culture.