Oviduct Epithelial Cell Co-culture of early Porcine Embryos

Abstract

One- to 16-cell porcine embryos were cultured in either Whittens medium supplemented with bovine serum albumin and fetal calf serum (WM) or in the same medium with porcine oviduct epithelial cell co-culture (WM-Poec). All stages of embryos cultured in WM-POEC had higher cell counts after 144–168 h of development than did embryos in WM. There was however, no significant difference in blastocyst formation rate of embryos cultured in WM-POEC over those cultured in WM. A high proportion of the embryos entering culture at the 1-2-cell were able to pass the 4-cell block stage in both WM and WM-POEC, 81% and 77%, respectively. In both media, most of the 1-2-cell embryos arrested their development at the compacted morula stage and failed to blastulate while embryos initiating culture at the 4-and 8-16-cell embryos formed blastocysts in culture at a rate of 80–90%.

Sammendrag

Svineembryoner af udviklingsgraderne 1–16 cellestadier blev dyrket enten i Whittens medium tilsat bovint serumalbumin og føtalt kalveserum (WM) eller i det samme medium med svine Ovidukt epithelceller (WM-POEC). Efter dyrkning i 144–168 timer havde embryoner af alle udviklingsstadier højere celletal i WM-POEC end i WM. Der var dog ingen signifikant forskel i blastocyst raten mellem de to grupper. En høj andel af de embryoner, der begyndte som 1–2 cellestadier var i stand til at passere 4-celle-blokket i WM (81%) og i WMPOEC (77%). I begge medier standsede de fleste af disse deres udvikling ved kompakt morula stadiet, mens de embryoner, der påbegyndte deres dyrkning som 4-8-16 celle stadier for størstepartens vedkommende (80–90%) udviklede sig til blastocyster.