• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the effective genetic resources preservation system using the frozen boar semen. The porcine oocytes were matured for 44 hours in NCSU-23 medium with or without 10% Porcine Follicle Fluid (PFF), 0.5 ${\mu}g/ml$ porcine FSH, 0.5 ${\mu}g/ml$ equine LH, 1.0 ${\mu}g/ml$ 17 $\beta$-estradiol ($E_2$) and 10 ng/ml Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) under mineral oil at $38.5^{\circ}C$ in humidified atmosphere of 5% $CO_2$ in air. After 44 h of culture, the oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed semen and fresh semen prepared with mTBM medium for 6 h. Later, set of 50 presumptive zygotes were transferred into 4-well dish (500 ${\mu}l$) of IVC medium. for embryos freezing, slow-freezing and vitrification methods were used as a cryopreservation. Differences among treatments were analyzed using General Linear Model Procedure by SAS Package (version 6.12) differences were considered significant when p<0.05. Following IVF and IVC, the rates of cleavage and blastocysts formation were significantly higher (p<0.05) in hormone supplemented group than that of hormone-free group (25.7 vs, 12.1). The development rates to cleavage and blastocysts were significantly higher in PZM-5 group than NCSU-23 group (60.3%, 46.6% vs 27.4%, 11.1%). Further improvement was achieved when PZM-5 was supplemented with FBS. Cleavage rates was significantly higher in fresh semen source group than frozen semen (66.7% vs 43.7%). However in blastocysts rates was similar two groups. Post-thaw survival rates of embryos were 1.2% and 2.2% in slow-frezing and vitrification groups, respectively. The results of our study suggest that it is still possible to improve the culture conditions and boar semen cryopreservation for enhance reproductive technology and animal genetic resources conservation.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 2001

Vitrification of oocytes has been applied recently fur pigs, but remains elusive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of vitrification in open pulled straws (OPS) on in vitro survival of porcine oocytes. When immature follicular oocytes frozen-thawed were cultured for in vitro maturation, maturation rates to metaphase-II stage were higher in oocytes with (25%) than without (15%) cumulus cells. After In vitro fertilization of oocytes frozen-thawed, the maturation rates were also significantly (P<0.05) higher in oocytes with (41%) that than without (17%) cumulus cells. However, the penetration rates were higher in oocytes without (19%) that than with (9%) cumulus. In another experiment, porcine oocytes matured in vitro were frozen and thawed for in vitro fertilization. The penetration rates were higher than in oocytes without (35%) that than with (26%) cumulus cells. However, the proportions of oocytes dead after in vitro fertilization were significantly (P<0.05) higher in oocytes with that than without cumulus cells. On the other hand, the rates of penetration and dead oocytes at 6 h after in vitro fertilization were not significant differences between oocytes with and without cumulus cells. However, the proportions of dead oocytes with (18%) and without (16%) cumulus cells were higher than in oocytes of control group (0%). These finding indicated the possible broader application for OPS, as they demonstrated that the maturation and fertilization in vitro by frozen-thawed oocytes may be accompained by cumulus cells and culture periods according to the requirements of the survival ability after freezing of mature and immature oocytes in pigs.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.263-271
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was undertaken to compare ability of frozen-thawed sperm characteristics between two strains (miniature pig and Duroc). The semen was collected by gloved-hand method into a pre-warmed ($37^{\circ}C$) thermos bottle. The semen was diluted with same volume extender and added to LEY solution for freezing. The diluted semen was placed in 0.5 ml straws, and freezing was initiated by exposing the straws to liquid nitrogen ($LN_2$) vapours for 10 min before placing them into $LN_2$ for cryopreservation. The frozen-semen straw were thawed at 20, 37 and $50^{\circ}C$ for 1 min, 45 sec and 10 sec within water-bath. The semen sample were evaluated at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 h after incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for analysis of sperm ability. Abnormality of spermatozoa in miniature pig was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that in Duroc at 0, 9 and 12 h of post-thawing incubation after frozen-thawing. The percentage of F-patterned spermatozoa in miniature pig was significantly (p<0.05) lower, while the percentage of AR (acrosome reacted spermatozoa) pattern was higher in the miniature than in the Duroc. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the viability of spermatozoa thawed at different temperature ($20^{\circ}C\;and\;37^{\circ}C$) between two species, but the viability in miniature pig was higher (p<0.05) than in Duroc when sperm was thawed at $50^{\circ}C$. In conclusion, this study suggest that suitable freezing method for miniature pig semen is required for increasing post-thawing viability and fertilization capacity.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2018

Objective: In frozen and thawed embryos, the zona pellucida (ZP) can be damaged due to hardening. Laser-assisted hatching (LAH) of embryos can increase the pregnancy rate. This study compared thinning and drilling of the ZP before frozen embryo transfer (FET). Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into two groups for LAH using thinning or drilling on day 2 after thawing. Twenty-five percent of the ZP circumference and 50% of the ZP thickness was removed in the thinning group, and a hole $40{\mu}m$ in diameter was made in the drilling group. Results: A total of 171 in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection FET cycles, including 85 cycles with drilling LAH and 86 cycles with thinning LAH, were carried out. The thinning group had a similar ${\beta}$-human chorionic gonadotropin-positive rate (38.4% vs. 29.4%), implantation rate (16.5% vs. 14.4%), clinical pregnancy rate (36.0% vs. 25.9%), miscarriage rate (5.8% vs. 2.4%), ongoing pregnancy rate (30.2% vs. 23.5%), and multiple pregnancy rate (7.0% vs. 10.6%) to the drilling LAH group. There were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between subgroups defined based on age (older or younger than 35 years) or ZP thickness (greater or less than $17{\mu}m$) according to the LAH method. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that partial ZP thinning or drilling resulted in similar outcomes in implantation and pregnancy rates using thawed embryos, irrespective of women's age or ZP thickness.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.27-34
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• 1997

Bovine oocytes surrounded with compact cumulus cells were cultured for 20 to 22 hours($38^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$) in modified TCM-199 medium supplemented with 5% superovulated cow serum(SCS) and inseminated by in vitro capacitated spermatozoa. Day 7 to 8 embryos were equilibrated for 10 minutes in 1.3M methyl cellosolve(MC) <1.1M diethylene glycol(DEG), 1.8M ethylene glycol(EG), 1.6M propylene glycol(PG) and 1.1 M 1,3-butylene glycol(BG) solutions. They were then loaded into 0.25ml straws, placed into an alcohol bath freezer at $0^{\circ}C$, cooled from $0^{\circ}C$ to $-6^{\circ}C$ at $-1^{\circ}C$/minute, seeded, held for 10 minutes, and stored in liquid nitrogen. After thawing in $30^{\circ}C$ water, the embryos wee rehydrated in TCM-199 medium and then cultured for 48 hours in TCM-199 plus 5% SCS. Embryos were considered viable if they progressed to later developmental stages with a good morphology. Some of the embryos frozen in each cryoprotectant were thawed and transferred non-surgically without removing the cryoprotectant. Hatched embryos survived freezing and one-step dilution as follows : EG(50.0%), MC(53.6%), DEG(56.9%), PG(58.0%) and BG(11.5%). The survival rate of embryos cooled at -0.3^{\circ}C$ vs. $-0.5^{\circ}C$/minute was not significantly different(P<0.05), however, blastocysts hatched most often (P<0.01) in vitro when cooled at a rate of $0.3^{\circ}C$/minute(64.6%), 31/48) than at $-0.5^{\circ}C$/minute(22.6%, 12/53). Pregnancy rates resulting from embryos frozen in the different cryoprotectants were as follows : MC(48%, 10/21); DEG(30%, 3/10); EG(74%, 20/27); and PG(40%, 4/10). These results indicate that MC, DEG, EG and PG have utility as cryoprotectants for the freezing and thawing of IVF Bovine embryos.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 1995

This study was conducted to examine the efficiency of enucleation and blastomere isolation from recipient oocytes and donor embryos, respectively and to determine the effect of oocyte age and electric voltage on the fusion rate and in vitro development of the fused oocytes in rabbit nuclear transplantation. Immature oocytes collected from ovarian follicles were matured in vivo for 12 h in TCM-199 containing FCS and hormones and in vivo matured oocytes were collected 17 to 18 h post-HCG. The fresh and frozen donor embryos of 8- to 16-cell stage were collected from the oviduct of superovulated does. The proportion of successfully enucleated oocytes was greatly lower in in vitro matured oocytes (42.3%) than that (62.7%) in in vivo matured oocytes The level of cytochalasin B for in vivo matured oocytes did not affect the efficiency of enuleation, but 7.5 $\mu$g /mL cytochalasin B for in vitro matured oocytes showed a high enucleation rate significantly. The isolation efficiency of a single blastomere nucleus did not differ between 8- and 16-cell stage embryos. The percentage of single blastomeres isolated from 16-cell stage fresh embryos after 0.5% pronase treatment was greatly higher at 16-min treatment (94.4%) than at 8-min(78. 1%) and the blastomeres(61.5%) isolated from frozen-thawed embryos after 16-min pronase were significantly fewer than those of fresh embryos. The age of recipient oocytes affected nuclear fusion rate. The reconstituted oocytes fused at 24-h age showed slightly higher fusion rate (77.8%) than those (65.0%)fused at 18-h age. The fusion rate of in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes inserted with fresh blastomere did not differ among electric voltages, but the cleavage rate and development to morula-blastocysts of in vitro matured oocytes was more higher under 0.6 kV/cm than under 0.8 to 1.2 kV/cm, while the cleavage rate and development of in vivo matured oocytes was higher under 0.8 to 1.0 kV/cm than under 1.2 kV/cm. The fusion and cleavage rate fol1owing insertion with frozen-thawed blastomere was not different between the in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes and was similar to those from fresh blastomere insertion.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.179-186
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• 2003

Human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines have been derived from human blastocysts and are expected to have far-reaching applications in regenerative medicine. The objective of this study is to improve freezing method with less cryo-injuries and best survival rates in hES cells by comparing various vitrification conditions. For the vitrifications, ES cells are exposed to the 4 different cryoprotectants, ethylene glycol (EG), 1,2-propanediol (PROH), EG with dime-thylsulfoxide (DMSO) and EG with PROH. We compared to types of vehicles, such as open pulled straw (OPS) or electron microscopic cooper grids (EM grids). Thawed hES cells were dipped into sequentially holding media with 0.2 M sucrose for 1 min, 0.1 M sucrose for 5 min and holding media for 5 min twice and plated onto a fresh feeder layer. Survival rates of vitrified hES cells were assessed by counting of undifferentiated colonies. It shows high survival rates of hES cells frozen with EG and DMSO (60.8％), or EG and PROH(65.8％) on EM grids better than those of OPS, compared to those frozen with EG alone (2.4％) or PROH alone (0％) alone. The hES cells vitrified with EM grid showed relatively constant colony forming efficiency and survival rates, compared to those of unverified hES cells. The vitrified hES cells retained the normal morphology, alkaline phosphates activity, and the expression of SSEA-3 and 4. Through RT-PCR analysis showed Oct-4 gene expression was down-regulated and embryonic germ layer markers were up-regulated in the vitrified hES cells during spontaneous differentiation. These results show that vitrification method by using EM grid supplemented with EG and PROH in hES cells may be most efficient at present to minimize cyto-toxicity and cellular damage derived by ice crystal formation and furthermore may be employed for clinical application.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.221-226
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• 2016

The aim of the present study was to assess the embryo development and survivability of post-thawed bovine embryos produced in vitro by addition of cysteine. The rates of metaphase II formation were not differed significantly among three groups(TCM199 73.8%, TCM199 with 0.3% cysteine 76.9%, TCM199 with 0.5% cysteine 83.8%, respectively). No difference of cleavage rate(70.6~74.6%) was seen among three culture medium(TCM199 70.6%, CR1aa 71.3%, SOF 74.6%) with 0.5M cysteine. however, Significantly(P<0.05) higher development rate into blastocyst stage by 0.5M cysteine addition was obtained in SOF medium(35.6%) than in TCM199(27.6%) or CR1aa(26.6%), however no significant differences in the cleavage rates were among three culture medium. After frozen the blastocysts cultured with 0.5M cysteine, The re-expansion rates were 61.3%~86.4% among groups, and hatching rates were 26.3%~46.9% among groups, the rates of re-expansion and hatching were significantly(P<0.05) higher in SOF medium(86.4% and 46.9%) than those in TCM199(61.3% and 26.3%) and CR1aa medium(87.1 and 44.4%). After thawing, the blastocyst re-expansion rate was significantly(P<0.05) higher in in vivo (87.1%) and in vitro (70.3%) embryos. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that supplementation of IVM and IVC medium with 0.5M cysteine improved the quality of in vitro production embryo and post- thawed embryo. Future studies comparing these media systems in well-designed trials should be performed.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2000

The ovaries of 178 Holstein heifers or cows (heifer; 41, 1 parity; 72, 2$\leq$ parity; 65) on Day 6 or 7 (Day 0=day of estrus) were examined by transrectal ultrasonography. Diameter of corpus luteum (CL) and large follicle ( $\geq$ 10 mm), and luteal tissue area were determined by ultrasound system with a 5 MHB rectal probe. Blood samples were taken to progesterone analysis. After selection of recipients, frozen Holstein embryos were thawed and directly transferred to recipients non-surgically. The diameter of CL and luteal tissue area was greater (P<0.01) on Day 7 than on Day 6 in heifers, 1 parity or 2 $\leq$ parity cows, respectively, although progesterone concentrations were not different. The presence of fluid-filled luteal cavitied or multiple CL (2 or more) did not affect serum progesterone concentration. A large follicles were observed in 67.4% of heifers or cows and the average diameter was 14.1 mm. Greater luteal tissue area attributed higher pregnancy in heifers, but not in cows, although there were no difference on pregnancy rate according to progesterone concentration in heifers or cows. The pregnancy rate of recipients contained a large follicle at embryo transfer was lower than that of recipients not contained. These results show ultrasonic assessment of ovaries in Holstein recipients is a reliable tool to determine the follicle and CL for recipient selection.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1998

In order to improve the cryopreservation by vitrification or slow freezing of nuclear transplant rabbit embryos, the effects of factors affecting embryo cryopreservation such as cryoprotectants, equilibration, cooling rate and post-thaw dilution on post-thaw survial and development were determined using intact embryos of morular stage. And the post-thaw development of nuclear transplanted embryos cryopreserved under the optimal conditions examined was compared between vitrification and slow freezing. The cryoprotectant solution used was ethyleneglycol-ficoll-sucrose (EFS) or ethyleneglycol-poly-vinylpyrrolidone-galactose- I (EPG- I ) for vitrification, and EPG- II for slow freezing. To examine the viability of frozen-thawed embryos, the nuclear transplanted embryos were co-cultured in TCM-199 plus 10% FBS with bovine oviduct epithelial cells(BOEC) for 24 hrs and the intact morulae were co-cultured with BOEC for 5 days and 3 days to hatching blastocyst stage in 39 ˚C 5% $CO_2$ incubator. The results obtained were as follows: Following vitrification with EFS, the post-thaw development of rabbit morulae to hatching blastocyst was significantly(P<0.05) higher in compacted stage(82.4%) than in early morular stage(60.0%). The post-thaw development of compacted morulae to hatching blastocyst was similarly high in vitrification with EFS(82.4%), EPG- I (85.0%) and in slow freezing with EPG- II (83.3%). Following vitrification with EPG- I, the post-thaw development of intact rabbit morulae to hatching blastocyst was similar as 78.0% and 85.0% in 1-step and 2-step post-thaw dilution, respectively. The post-thaw development of nuclear transplanted rabbit embryos of compacted morulae stage to hatching blastocyst was similarly 43.6% and 40.0% in vitrification with EPG- Iand slow freezing with EPG- II, respectively. These results indicated that the rabbit nuclear transplant and intact embryos of morulae stage could be well cryopreserved with either vitrification or slow freezing procedure.