In vitro production of bovine embryos from oocytes collected by ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up on living cows - preliminary results
1996
Donnay, I. | Roover, R. de | Langendonckt, A. van | Auquier, P. | Bombaerts, P. | Kinnar, T. | Schuurbiers, N. | Dive, M. | Mssip, A. | Dessy, F. (Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). Unite des SCiences Veterinaires)
The in vitro production of bovine embryos from oocytes obtained by ultrasound-guided transvaginal ovum pick-up (OPU) was developed to offer an alternative for the in vivo production of embryos by superovulation. This study presents the preliminary results of the application of OPU in an experimental trial. Six heifers were punctured twice a week during 2 months (16 sessions). A general recovery rate (number of oocytes per punctured follicle) of 58 per cent was obtained. The mean number of oocyte/cumulus complexes (COC) recovered was 3.9 oocytes per cow and per session and varied significantly with the animal (P less than 0.001). Seventy-two percent of the COC were of excellent or good quality. This percentage was not different between animals. A high rate (58 per cent) of transferable blastocysts was obtained after in vitro maturation, fertilisation and culture. An average of 20 (8 to 35) blastocysts was produced per animal in 2 months. The in vitro survival of those embryos after freezing and thawing was 65 per cent. Pregnancies were obtained after transfer (preliminary data). This study indicates that OPU can be used for embryo production and breeding in cattle. The main restrictive factors for the commercial application of this technique are the variable number of oocytes obtained and the cost of in vitro embryo production.
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