The effects of water-soluble vitamins on the expansion of rabbit blastocysts in vitro

The vitamin requirements for culture of rabbit morulae to expanded blastocysts were examined. Early morulae were cultured for 5 days either in a control complete medium containing all the 11 water-soluble vitamins of F10 culture medium (biotin, pantothenate, choline, inositol, niacinamide, pyridoxine, riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid, B12, and lipoic acid) or in media with each vitamin omitted individually. Blastocyst diameters were measured at the end of culture. The omission of inositol, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and niacinamide resulted in large statistically significant decreases in blastocyst expansion. The omission of B12 resulted in a significant increase in blastocyst expansion indicating that the level present in F10 is toxic to rabbit blastocysts.     

The effect of thyroxine and cortisol on some dehydrogenases and lysosomal enzymes activities in rat pineal cultures

Summary A histoenzymologic investigation was made concerning the effects of variable doses of thyroxine, cortisol, growth hormone, testosterone propionate and stilboestrol on some oxydo-reducing and lysosomal enzymes activity in rat pineal cell cultures. The thyroxine stimulated predominantly the enzymes of Krebs and Emhden-Meyerhoff cycles and the lipid metabolism. The cortisol stimulated the aryl-sulphatase only. No effect was shown by the pituitary growth and sex hormones. By means of hystoenzymologic techniques two pinealocytes types werein vitro identified: round (basophile) highly active cells and polyedric (chief) cells with lesser enzymatic activity.