Culture of Bovine Embryos in Deproteinized Hemodialysate-Supplemented Media and Immature Mouse Uterine Horns

¹ Department of Dairy Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061

Bovine morulae (d 6) were used to evaluate embryonic development in a deproteinized hemodialysate, agar embedding, and in the uterus of the immature mouse. Agar-embedded embryos were cultured in Ham's F-10 and 10% steer serum either (treatment 1) immediately after collection or (treatment 2) 24 h after storage in the uterus of the immature mouse. Unembedded embryos were cultured in Ham's F-10 containing (treatment 3) 10% steer serum, (treatment 4) 1% deproteinized hemodialysate CLB1107, or (treatment 5) 1% de-proteinized hemodialysate CLB1107 and 10% steer serum. A greater percentage of the embryos reached the hatched blastocyst stage after culture in treatments 1, 3, 4, and 5 (38.1, 34.6, 28.6, and 21.1%) than in treatment 2 (9.5%) in which embryos were stored in the immature mouse uterus for 24 h prior to in vitro culture. Final development scores for unembedded and agar-embedded embryos cultured in Ham's F-10 (5.5 ± .3) and 10% steer serum (4.9 ± .4) were similar and higher than those of embryos cultured in deproteinized hemodialysate CLB1107 (4.2 ± .4), deproteinized hemodialysate CLB1107 and steer serum (4.2 ± .4), or immature mouse uteri (3.4 ± .4). It is concluded that deproteinized hemodialysate supplementation at 1% (vol/vol) failed to enhance embryonic development in vitro. Moreover, bovine morulae were unaffected by agar embedding and were able to develop to a limited extent following short-term storage in the uterus of the immature mouse.

Key Words: bovine embryo culture • mouse uterine horns • supplement

Submitted on November 21, 1990
Accepted on February 4, 1991