Comparison of In Vitro Fertilization and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Techniques in Producing Buffalo Pre-Implantation Embryos

Eufrocina  P. Atabay,; Felomino  V. Mamuad,; L.c.  Dela Cruz,; E.c.  Atabav,; D.  H. Duran,; R.v.  De Vera,

Comparison of In Vitro Fertilization and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Techniques in Producing Buffalo Pre-Implantation Embryos

Discipline: Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science

Abstract:

This study was conducted to evaluate the timing of cleavage and blastocoele formation of in vitro fertilized (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos and to compare the efficiency of IVF and SCNT techniques in the production of buffalo embryos under the same culture system. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in vitro for 22 and 24 hr for SCNT and IVF, respectively. For IVF, COCs were inseminated with frozen-thawed semen and cultured in modified synthetic oviductal fluid medium for seven days. For SCNT, ear skin fibroblasts were inserted singly into enucleated oocytes, fused electrically and activated with ethanol followed by cycloheximide treatment before culture in the same condition as IVF embryos. The results showed that SCNT embryos cleaved and formed blastocoele earlier than IVF embryos. The cleavage rate was significantly higher in SCNT embryos while the blastocyst formation rate of IVF embryos was significantly higher (p<O.Ol) than that of SCNT embryos. The shorter time taken from cleavage to blastocoele formation by SCNT embryos as compared to the difference in the developmental competence between SCNT and IVF buffalo embryos warrants further investigation to increase embryo production efficiency.