Abstract: | Success rates of superovulation in response to gonadotropic hormone treatment and in vitro fertilization (ie, mitotic cleavage following insemination) of mouse eggs from outbred CD-1, hybrid CB6Fl, or hybrid B6CBAF1, mice were compared using either a mouse inseminationmedium, modified Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate (m-KRB), or a human insemination medium, Ham's F10 nutrient mixture. Inseminations were performed in either organ culture dishes or screw-top, flat-side tissue culture tubes. Mean superovulation rates (± SD) were 24.2 (5.1) for CD-1, 33.0 (5.8) for CB6F1, and 16.3 (6.6) for B6CBAF1 mice. For in vitro cleavage the best combination of mouse strain, insemination medium, and culture container was achieved using CB6F1, mice, m-KRB medium, and culture tubes. However, Ham's medium used with either hybrid mouse strain was shown to be employable for fertilization of mouse eggs in vitro as a quality control assay and/or experimental model system for testing the human in vitro fertilization procedure. |