Effects of pulsed ultrasound and temperature on the development of rat embryos in culture

Rat embryos in culture were exposed to pulsed ultrasound at SPTA intensity of 1.2 W/cm2 for 5, 15, and 30 min on day 9.5 of development. The whole embryo culture system allowed precise temperature control for directly examining the effects of ultrasound on the developing neural plate. After exposure, embryos were maintained in culture for a further 48 hr. No major morphological abnormalities were observed but a reduction in somite number occurred in the group insonated for 30 min, which was equivalent to a 2 hr delay in embryonic development. Similar delay in growth and "blistering" in the prosencephalon region of some embryos were observed after insonation for 15 min at 40.0 degrees C, an elevation of 1.5 degrees C over the temperature used for controls. Exposure to ultrasound for 15 min at 40 degrees C caused significant reduction in the growth of the head compared with that of control embryos. Heat shock genes for hsps 71/73 and 88 kD were induced after insonation for 30 min at 38.5 degrees C. Insonation did not cause any temperature changes in the culture medium. However, when the temperature of the culture medium was increased during insonation, defective development occurred. The results of these in vitro experiments suggest that ultrasound if resulting in significant hyperthermia could affect the development during early organogenesis of the neural plate and in particular they suggest that the embryo is at greater risk of damage during hyperthermic conditions. These results should provoke discussion of the concept that ultrasound in the febrile patient may present an increased embryonic risk which should be considered when deliberating on the use of diagnostic ultrasound procedures in the pregnant patient.     

Development of rat embryos in culture media containing different concentrations of normal and diabetic rat serum.

In vitro culture of rodent embryos has been extensively used in the search for teratologic agents, with possible relevance to diabetic pregnancy. However, the high concentrations of rat serum added to the culture medium (approximately 75%) have raised concern that the teratogenic effects of some compounds may be attenuated or masked in this culture system and thereby forced the addition of pharmacological concentrations of the compounds (e.g., D-glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate) to the medium. This issue has been examined in the present study where the effects of different concentrations of rat serum on growth and differentiation of rat embryos were recorded in cultures supplemented with increased concentrations of D-glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate. The embryonic development was also evaluated after culture in medium supplied with serum from diabetic rats. Compared with normal rat serum, the diabetic serum had an elevated glucose concentration as well as markedly increased levels of triglycerides and branched amino acids, indicating a potentially rich supply of major nutrients for the cultured embryos. Lowering the serum concentration in the culture medium from 80% to 50% yielded progressively retarded embryonic growth but no increased rate of other morphological malformations. At 40% serum concentration, however, there was a sharp rise in the incidence of somatic malformations, in addition to the prevailing growth retardation. When the embryonic growth and development were compared at 50% and 80% serum concentrations, increased D-glucose or beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations caused similar degrees of embryonic dysmorphogenesis. Also, the uptake of each compound by the embryos exposed to elevated levels of the two agents were similar in 50% and 80% serum cultures. There was, therefore, no protection against the teratogenic and growth-retarding effects of increased D-glucose or beta-hydroxybutyrate offered by high serum concentrations in the culture medium (i.e., 80% vs. 50%). Embryos cultured in 50% or 80% diabetic rat serum at 30 mmol/L or 50 mmol/L D-glucose concentration showed similar rates of somatic malformations as did embryos exposed to the same proportion of normal rat serum at similar glucose concentrations. By contrast, the diabetic rat serum amplified the general retarding effects of high D-glucose levels, yielding lower protein levels and somite numbers in embryos from diabetic serum culture than in embryos cultured in normal rat serum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Effects of ammonia during different stages of culture on development of in vitro produced bovine embryos

The effects of various concentrations of ammonia in the media during in vitro fertilization (IVF), culture (IVC), and throughout maturation (IVM), IVF, and IVC were evaluated using a randomized complete block design. Ammonia was added to the media at various concentrations during IVF (experiment 1), during IVC (experiment 2), and throughout IVM, IVF, and IVC (experiment 3). In the first experiment, there was a significant (P<0.05) increase in embryos developed to blastocyst, and to expanding and hatching blastocyst, in IVF media containing moderate concentrations of ammonia compared with that in the IVF control media. In the second experiment, ammonia in the IVC media increased (P<0.05) the proportion of degenerate ova and decreased (P<0.05) the proportion of ova that developed to blastocysts. In experiment 3, cleavage rates tended (P=0.06) to be greater for control groups than for treatment groups. The proportion of ova developing to morula was greater (P<0.05) in media containing moderate concentrations of ammonia than that in the control groups. These results indicate that the effect of ammonia on development of preimplantation bovine embryos depends on the concentration of ammonia and the stage of development when exposure to ammonia occurs.     

Effects of oxygen,insulin, and glucagon concentrations on rat submandibular acini in serum-free primary culture

Summary The objective of these studies was to develop serum-free culture conditions for dissociated acini from rat submandibular glands. Acini were isolated from the submandibular glands of 42–46 d old rats and cultured on reconstituted rat tail collagen containing laminin in 1:1 Ham’s F12 and Dulbecco’s media, supplemented with BSA, transferrin, insulin, T₃, EGF, dexamethasone, retinoic acid, carbamylcholine, and trace elements, and gassed with 50% O₂. The acini became partly embedded in the collagen gel and rapidly enlarged throughout the first 22 d of culture, maintaining modest seromucous acinar differentiation, as judged morphologically and by mucin secretion. Parallel cultures then were grown under 20, 35, 50, and 65% O₂, and evaluated morphologically and by DNA content. Growth and retention of seromucous acinar characteristics were best with 35% O₂, but lipid accumulation and cell death were unacceptably high. A spectrum of concentrations of insulin and glucagon then were tried. With 0.05μg/ml insulin, cellular growth and organization were orderly, lipid accumulations were not excessive, and moderate differentiation was retained through 15 d of culture. With more than 0.1μg/ml insulin added to or subtracted from the optimum, the detrimental effects recurred. Addition of sufficient glucagon counteracted the effects of both optimum and excessive concentrations of insulin. We now have achieved an orderly growth of moderately differentiated rat submandibular acini for 15 d in serum-free primary culture.     

Effects of oxygen toxicity on early development of mouse embryos.

To examine the effects of oxygen toxicity on embryonic development, mouse pronuclear embryos were cultured under low oxygen conditions with or without superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the blastulation rate was compared with that of embryos cultured under standard conditions. The blastulation rate of mouse pronuclear embryos cultured under standard conditions was only 1.5% (2/131). This rate was increased significantly, to 28.5% (43/151), when the embryos were cultured under low oxygen conditions; and to 31.0% (35/113) when SOD (500 micrograms/ml) was added to the medium under standard conditions; the rate was increased to 75.2% (115/153) when the embryos were cultured under low oxygen conditions in the presence of SOD. The minimum effective concentration of SOD in the culture medium was 50 micrograms/ml under conditions of 5% O2. The blastulation rate was significantly decreased after 1-hr exposure of pronuclear embryos to room atmospheric oxygen concentration (20% O2), and subsequent culture under 5% O2 with SOD did not result in an improved blastulation rate. Culture with SOD under 5% O2 promoted the development of two-cell stage embryos to the blastocyst stage. When two-cell stage embryos were collected 48 hr after hCG and cultured for 66 hr, their blastulation rate was similar to that of embryos collected from mice 114 hr after hCG. These results suggested that embryonic development in vitro is greatly affected by atmospheric oxygen throughout the early embryonic stages and that this harmful effect can be prevented by culturing embryos under low oxygen conditions and in the presence of SOD.     

Improved development of rat embryos in culture during the period of craniofacial morphogenesis

To study the mammalian craniofacial development, the culture conditions of rat whole embryo during the period of major craniofacial morphogenesis were examined. The improved rotating apparatus which is gassed continuously was used. Rat embryos explanted at 11.5 days (plug day 0) developed in vitro for up to 72 hr, that is, throughout the period of major craniofacial morphogenesis, and cultured embryos showed normal facial formation. The medium was equilibrated with a gas mixture of 95% 02, 5% CO2. The 100% rat serum improved the protein content of embryos cultured for 48 hr compared with the medium consisting of 50% rat serum and 50% Tyrode solution, although somite number was not altered. Furthermore, 100% rat serum containing 2 mg/ml glucose was the best medium for supporting growth of embryos when it was measured by protein content. Thus, the best culture medium was pure rat serum containing 50 units/ml penicillin, 50 micrograms/ml streptomycin, and 2 mg/ml glucose. Protein content, body weight, craniofacial formation, and somite number of embryos cultured for 48 hr with continuous gassing were much better than those cultured with noncontinuous gassing.     

Effects of oxygen tension on the development and quality of porcine in vitro fertilized embryos

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of oxygen tension during in vitro culture (IVC) of porcine oocytes/embryos on their development and quality using two different culture systems. Porcine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured (IVM) and fertilized (IVF) in vitro, and subsequently cultured for 6 days in a simple and economical portable incubator or a standard CO(2) incubator. While the same temperature (38.5 degrees C) and CO(2) concentration (5%) were used in the both systems, the portable incubator was operated in a negative air pressure (- 300 mmHg) to create an O(2) level at 8-10% (low O(2) concentration), or in a positive air pressure (high O(2) concentration). To compare the two culture systems, IVM and IVF of COCs and subsequent IVC of in vitro produced (IVP) embryos were carried out in the portable incubator with a low O(2) concentration (Group I) or in the standard incubator with a high O(2) concentration (Group II). To assess the effect of O(2) concentration on IVC of IVP embryos, some oocytes that had been cultured in the standard incubator for IVM and IVF were subsequently cultured in the portable incubator with a low O(2) concentration (Group III) or a high O(2) concentration (Group IV). The occurrence of DNA fragmentation in the blastocysts produced under different culture conditions was examined by TUNEL staining to assess embryo quality. The rates of oocytes that reached MII and were penetrated by spermatozoa following IVF did not differ between the two incubation systems. In contrast, the proportions of development to blastocysts and the mean cell number of blastocysts in Group I were higher than those in Group II and Group IV. The index of DNA-fragmented nucleus in the blastocysts of Group I was significantly lower than that in the blastocysts of Group II. Therefore, low oxygen tension during IVM, IVF and IVC enhanced the subsequent development of IVP embryos to the blastocyst stage and improved their quality.     

Evaluation of different culture systems with low oxygen tension on the development, quality and oxidative stress-related genes of bovine embryos produced in vitro

The present study was conducted to assess the development, quality and gene expression profile of oxidative stress-related genes of bovine embryos cultured in different culture systems with low oxygen tension (5% CO2, 5% O2 and 90% N2). The systems assessed included: (1) an incubator chamber; (2) a plastic bag; and (3) a foil bag. The choice of culture system had no effect on cleavage rate at 72 h. However, significant differences (P < 0.01) were observed in the rate of blastocysts registered at day 7 (29.8, 20.2 and 12.7% for incubator chamber, plastic bag and foil bag, respectively). Total number of cells did not differ between systems, although the proportion of ICM:total cells was affected particularly in the plastic bag (19.5%), compared with the incubator chamber (31.4%). In addition, significant differences were found in the apoptotic:total cell ratio (3.3, 6.5 and 8.8% for the incubator chamber, plastic bag and foil bag, respectively), with apoptotic nuclei localised mainly in the ICM compartment of the embryo. The amount of reactive oxygen species was also different between culture systems and this effect was correlated with a higher expression of SOD2, GSS and GPX1 genes in embryos cultured in the gassed bags as compared with embryos cultured in the incubator chamber. In conclusion, these results give evidence that, under low oxygen tension, the incubator chamber is more efficient and generates higher number of, and better quality, embryos than gassed bag systems evaluated here and this effect was probably due to an increased level of reactive oxygen species in the gassed bags, which upregulates the expression of some antioxidant enzymes to compensate for hyperoxia conditions.     

Effects of hyperthermia and boric acid on skeletal development in rat embryos

BACKGROUND: The individual effects of boric acid (BA) and hyperthermia on the development of the axial skeleton have been reported previously. Both cause an increased incidence of axial skeletal defects including a decrease in the total number of ribs and vertebrae. Because of the similarity in the effects of the two agents, we examined their interaction when given in combination to pregnant rats on gestational day (GD) 10. METHODS: Dams were treated on GD 10 with BA (0, 250, or 500 mg/kg) and hyperthermia (37, 41, or 42 degrees C) and allowed to deliver their pups. Doses of BA were based on results from a dose-finding study. Litters were evaluated on postnatal days (PND) 1 and 3 for number, gender, and weight of pups. On PND3, pups were examined externally and viscerally, and double-stained for skeletal evaluation. RESULTS: A dose-dependent, statistically significant increase in fetal skeletal defects was seen on PND 3 with BA or hyperthermia alone with even greater effects when given in combination. Defects included rib and vertebral fusions, split vertebral centra in the thoracic and lumbar areas, and a decrease in the total number of ribs and vertebrae. CONCLUSIONS: The increased incidence of skeletal defects resulting from combined exposure to hyperthermia and BA was additive for segmentation defects and synergistic for the reduction in numbers of vertebrae.     

Effects of superovulation, culture and microinjection on development of rabbit embryos in vitro

Factors influencing the developmental potential of cultured rabbit zygotes and their ability to incorporate and integrate the WAP-hPC (human protein C) gene were investigated. Rabbit zygotes (n = 1053) were recovered from both superovulated and nontreated New Zealand White females. The hormonal treatment of rabbit donors resulted in a doubling of the number of recovered ova per donor when compared with the nontreated group (18 vs 9 ova). However, the quality of recovered zygotes (presence of both pronuclei) was significantly better in the nontreated group (99 vs 88%, Experiment 1). The effect of various culture media on the development of rabbit zygotes in vitro was evaluated after incubation under CO2-free conditions (Experiment 2). In serum-free, growth factor-supplemented medium (BSEITS, DME/F12, 1.5% BSA, EGF, insulin, transferrin and sodium selenite) the percentage of morula/blastocyst stage embryos was significantly higher (88%) than in DME/FCS, (DME/F12, 10% fetal calf serum, 59%) or the control group (DME/F12, 1.5% BSA, 25%). In Experiment 3, zygotes were microinjected with the WAP-hPC gene and were examined after 72 h of culture. Zygote cleavage and the percentage of morula/blastocyst stage intact embryos were higher (79 and 58%, respectively) than in microinjected embryos (31.0 and 21.5%, respectively). Summarized data of the PCR assay of microinjected zygotes demonstrated positive signals for the integration of the WAP-hPC gene in 6.6% (34 of 515) of all the microinjected zygotes.     

不同供体细胞及其处理对猪核移植重构胚体外发育的影响

系统探讨了体细胞的组织来源及培养代数对猪核移植重构胚发育的影响。体外成熟培养40~44 h的猪卵母细胞去核后, 将经血清饥饿(0.5%FBS)培养2~9天、0.1 mg/L Aphidicolin(APD)培养+0.5% FBS培养2~9天或一般培养法(10% FBS)培养的卵丘细胞、颗粒细胞、输卵管上皮细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞, 直接注射到去核的卵母细胞质中, 或注射到卵周隙中, 再经电融合(100 V/mm, 30 [mu]s, 电脉冲1次)构建重构胚。重构胚以钙离子载体A23817 或电脉冲结合6-DMAP 激活处理, 体外培养6天。耳皮成纤维细胞和颗粒细胞经0.1 mg/L APD + 0.5% FBS培养处理后的重组胚卵裂率, 均高于血清饥饿和一般培养处理的同种供体细胞(P<0.01)。卵丘细胞、颗粒细胞经0.1 mg/L APD + 0.5% FBS处理后进行核移植的分裂率和发育率均高于输卵管上皮细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞(P<0.05)。以猪颗粒细胞为核供体时, 电融合法的重构胚分裂率显著高于胞质内注入法(P<0.05), 但囊胚发育率无显著差异(P>0.05)。培养3代和6代的猪颗粒细胞以及培养6代和10代的耳皮成纤维细胞, 其具有正常二倍染色体的细胞比例均无显著差异(P>0.05); 以这2种细胞不同培养代数做供体进行核移植时, 各代之间核移胚的体外分裂率、囊胚发育率无显著差异(P>0.05)。这些结果表明: (1) 猪耳皮成纤维细胞和颗粒细胞经培养传代所建立起来的细胞系相对比较稳定; (2) 0.1 mg/L APD预培养处理供体细胞能提高猪体细胞核移植的效果, 血清饥饿培养则无明显效果; (3) 猪颗粒细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞等均可做供核细胞, 核移植后都能得到体细胞克隆的囊胚, 但前者的效果略优于后者, 且其核移植效果不受供核细胞培养代数的影响; (4) 电融合核移植胚胎的发育率高于胞质内直接注入法, 但两者的总体效率相近。     

Effects of activation methods and culture conditions on development of parthenogenetic porcine embryos

The effects of different activation methods and culture conditions on early development of porcine parthenotes were examined. Three different activation methods were tested: (1) electroporation; (2) electroporation followed by incubation in the presence of butyrolactone I, an inhibitor of cdc2 and cdk2 kinases; and (3) electroporation followed by a treatment with cycloheximide, a blocker of protein synthesis. The activated oocytes were cultured in two different media, NCSU-23 and PZM-3 under 5% CO2 in air. In a separate experiment, the effects of high (approximately 20%) or low (5%) O2 tension on early embryo development were also evaluated. The average pronuclear formation was less (p<0.05) in the electroporated oocytes (83.9+/-1.7%) compared with those activated by electroporation and butyrolactone I or electroporation plus cycloheximide (92.8+/-0.8 and 93.0+/-1.0%). In PZM-3 medium, the average frequencies of blastocyst formation (59.7+/-3.6%) and hatching (10.6+/-1.3%) were greater than those in NCSU-23 medium (39.9+/-3.1% blastocyst formation, p<0.05; and 0.2+/-0.2% hatching; p<0.001). Furthermore, the average nuclear number was also greater (p<0.001) in blastocysts developed in PZM-3 (50.2+/-1.3) than in those developed in NCSU-23 (35.3+/-1.1). Blastocyst formation was similar (p>0.10) among the three activation procedures when parthenotes were cultured in NCSU-23, while in PZM-3 more (p<0.05) parthenotes produced by electroporation plus butyrolactone or electroporation plus cycloheximide developed into blastocysts compared to electroporation alone (64.9+/-5.2 and 68.6+/-3.5% compared with 45.6+/-4.7%). Incidences of apoptotic nuclei were similar (p>0.10) among all treatments. No difference in development was found between parthenotes that developed under high versus low O2 tension (p>0.10). These results demonstrate that activation methods targeting the calcium signaling pathway at several points trigger embryonic development more efficiently than electroporation alone. The data also imply that the PZM-3 medium provides for enhanced culture conditions for the early development of parthenogenetic porcine embryos than NCSU-23.     

Effects of donor oocytes and culture conditions on development of cloned mice embryos

Mice have been successfully cloned from somatic and embryonic stem (ES) cells using the "Honolulu method." In the present study, different donor oocytes and different culture conditions were compared to evaluate the developmental potential of nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with an inbred ES cell line HM-1. Oocytes were recovered from two different F1 donors B6D2F1 (C57BL/6 x DBA/2) and B6CBAF1 (C57BL/6 x CBA). There was no effect of oocyte origin on development of cloned embryos to the morulae/blastocyst stage (B6D2F1 44.1% vs. B6CBAF1 45.0%), and the transferred embryos could develop to term. Two culture conditions were compared to show their ability to support development to the morulae/blastocyst stage of reconstructed embryos with B6D2F1 oocytes. The total cell number in the cloned blastocysts cultured in M16 with 20% oxygen was much higher than that observed in CZB with 20% oxygen. Low oxygen concentration during culture of nuclear transfer embryos in CZB medium showed no beneficial effect on pre-implantation development, no embryos developed to term after transfer to surrogate mothers. Our results demonstrated that not only B6D2F1, but B6CBAF1 oocytes, can be used for nuclear transfer. M16 medium is superior for culture of nuclear transfer embryos and low oxygen concentration with CZB medium during culture shows no benefit on development of cloned embryos.     

Effects of conditioned media on porcine embryos at different stages of development

The objective of our study was to determine the effect of conditioning media with homologous porcine uterine cells on the developmental rate of porcine embryos. Cell monolayers were prepared by selective dissection and digestion of sections from the uterus of prepuberal gilts that were primed with PMSG and hCG. Conditioned media were used with 2 type of embryos: 4-cell stage (Experiment 1) or blastocyst stage (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, embryos were collected surgically by flushing the oviducts, 36 to 48 h following the first of 2 inseminations. Embryos were cultured in Whitten's medium containing 1.5% BSA as a protein source until they attained the 4-cell stage. Embryos at the 4-cell stage were cultured randomly in either Whitten's medium with 1.5% BSA or Whitten's medium with 1.5% BSA that was previously conditioned for 24 h with an endometrial epithelial cell monolayer. Embryos were cultured in 50-microl drops covered with oil in a 38.5 degrees C, 5% CO(2) in air incubator. There was no advantage to using the conditioned media with the 4-cell stage embryos. The embryos were less developed than those cultured in nonconditioned Whitten's medium (P <0.001). In Experiment 2, embryos were cultured at the blastocyst stage. They were recovered the same way as in Experiment 1 and then cultured in Whitten's medium containing 1.5% BSA until they reached the blastocyst stage. At the blastocyst stage (Day 6), embryos were randomly assigned to 1 of the 6 following treatments: Whitten's with 1.5% BSA or Whitten's plus 1.5% BSA that was previously conditioned with endometrial epithelial cell monolayer, TCM-199 containing 0.4% BSA or TCM-199 plus 0.4% BSA that was previously conditioned with endometrial epithelial cell monolayer, finally, TCM-199 containing 10% serum or TCM-199 plus 10% serum that was previously conditioned with endometrial epithelial cell monolayer. Results show that initiation of hatching was significantly enhanced by conditioning the Whitten's media.     

Effects of antioxidants on the development of bovine IVM/IVF embryos in various concentrations of glucose

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of glucose, antioxidants and different oxygen tensions on the development of bovine embryos cultured in modified synthetic oviduct fluid (m-SOF) medium. In vitro matured (IVM) and fertilized (IVF) oocytes were incubated for 48 h. Embryos reaching at least the 4-cell stage were selected for further culture under various conditions for 6 d. Supplementing the m-SOF media with 4.5 mM glucose resulted in a significantly lower (P < 0.01) embryo developmental rate (21%; Day 8) than was obtained with 1.5 mM glucose (58%; Day 8) or no glucose (53%; Day 8). Antioxidants such as SOD, catalase and mannitol had no positive effect on embryo development in m-SOF medium supplemented with 1.5 mM glucose. However, in m-SOF medium supplemented with 4.5 mM glucose, SOD and mannitol significantly (P < 0.05) improved embryo development: SOD increased the developmental rate from 19 to 35% (Day 8), while mannitol increased it from 13 to 30% (Day 8). Low oxygen concentration improved embryo development significantly (P < 0.05) in m-SOF medium supplemented with 4.5 mM glucose (low O2: 31% vs high O2: 14%; Day 8) but not 0 mM glucose (low O2: 58% vs high O2: 55%; Day 8). Our data suggest that low concentration of glucose during culture of bovine embryos is beneficial, and that generation of free oxygen radicals is partly caused by a high concentration of glucose in the medium.     

Effects of different cryopreservation methods on post-thaw culture conditions of in vitro produced bovine embryos

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation protocols on subsequent development of in vitro produced bovine embryos under different culture conditions. Expanded in vitro produced blastocysts (n = 600) harvested on days 7-9 were submitted to controlled freezing [slow freezing group: 10% ethylene glycol (EG) for 10 min and 1.2°C/min cryopreservation]; quick-freezing [rapid freezing group: 10% EG for 10 min, 20% EG + 20% glycerol (Gly) for 30 s]; or vitrification [vitrification group: 10% EG for 10 min, 25% EG + 25% Gly for 30 s] protocols. Control group embryos were not exposed to cryoprotectant or cryopreservation protocols and the hatching rate was evaluated on day 12 post-insemination. In order to evaluate development, frozen-thawed embryos were subjected to granulosa cell co-culture in TCM199 or SOFaa for 4 days. Data were analyzed by PROC MIXED model using SAS Systems for Windows?. Values were significant at p < 0.05. The hatching rate of the control group was 46.09%. In embryos cultured in TCM199, slow freezing and vitrification group hatching rates were 44.65 ± 5.94% and 9.43 ± 6.77%, respectively. In embryos cultured in SOFaa, slow freezing and vitrification groups showed hatching rates of 11.65 ± 3.37 and 8.67 ± 4.47%, respectively. In contrast, the rapid freezing group embryos did not hatch, regardless of culture medium. The slow freezing group showed higher hatching rates than other cryopreservation groups. Under such conditions, controlled freezing (1.2°C/min) can be an alternative to cryopreservation of in vitro produced bovine embryos.     

Effects of secondary bile acids on the in vitro development of early somite rat embryos

Effects of secondary bile acids--lithocholic (LCA) and deoxycholic (DCA)--on the in vitro development of early somite (10.5 days old) rat embryos were studied. It was shown that an addition to the culture medium of 0.1 mM LCA (final concentration) resulted in 9% growth-retarded and 12% malformed embryos when the duration of exposure was 24 h. When treatment with LCA was prolonged to 48 h, the rate of growth retardation increased to 18% and that of malformations to 40% versus 0.5% for both parameters observed in controls. This could be interpreted as a reversible or time-dependent effect of LCA on the in vitro development of the mammalian embryo. Culture of embryos in medium with 0.5 mM DCA resulted in 22% of growth retardation and 50% of malformations. DCA in 0.1 mM final concentration had only slight and statistically nonsignificant effects. Retardation of growth development could be demonstrated by a decrease in crown-rump length and the number of somites. Among malformed embryos, abnormalities in the development of the neural tube and exencephaly were the most common types of malformations. Abnormalities as well as growth retardation were accompanied by significant pathological changes in structure and perhaps in function of the endodermal visceral yolk sac cells. It could be suggested that secondary bile acids when present in pathophysiological concentrations can affect the embryonic development by direct inhibitory effects and that these effects may be time and dose dependent.     

Effects of human diabetic serum on the in vitro development of early somite rat embryos

High levels of glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate (B-HOB), and acetoacetate are known to have embryotoxic and teratogenic effects on rat embryos in culture, especially when added concomitantly to the culture medium. We studied the effects of human serum from different types of diabetes mellitus on the in vitro development of 10 1/2-day-old rat embryos cultured for 48 hours. We used serum from type I diabetes with and without ketoacidosis and type II diabetes either untreated or treated with insulin or with daonil. Type I diabetes without ketoacidosis increased the rate of malformations to 27% vs. 11% in controls. Serum from type I diabetes with ketoacidosis further increased the malformation rate to 44%. The rate of malformations induced by serum of type II diabetes was dependent on the treatment. It was relatively low among embryos cultured on serum from untreated (16%) or treated with daonil (19%) and rose to 27% among embryos cultured on serum from type II diabetes treated with insulin. No significant correlation was found between the rate of malformations and the concentrations of glucose, B-HOB, acetoacetate, and HbA1c in all diabetic sera except serum from type I diabetes with ketoacidosis. We may therefore conclude that for most types of diabetes in humans, neither the high blood glucose concentrations nor the high levels of ketone bodies seem to be the main reason for the high rate of malformations. However, we used cultured rat embryos, and the effects on the human embryo may be different. The results of studies on various experimental animal models in diabetes teratogenicity seem to have only partial relevance to the human situation.