Ultrastructure of bovine in vitro-produced blastocysts cryopreserved by vitrification.

The objective of this study was to examine ultrastructural aspects of bovine in vitro-produced blastocysts associated with cryopreservation by vitrification. Morphologically good embryos were used and treated with ethylene-glycol-based vitrification solution (VS). The untreated embryos had conventional fine structure. The post-warming embryos treated with direct exposure to VS (one-step procedure) showed cellular damage structurally by cryopreservation, which included loss of microvilli, disruption of the plasma membrane, mitochondrial changes and swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum. However, nuclei and junctional regions seemed to be resistant to cryoinjury. In contrast, the post-warming embryos pre-equilibrated with 10% ethylene glycol for 5 min and subsequent exposure to VS (two-step procedure) showed less damage than those treated by the one-step procedure. Post-warming embryos treated by the two-step procedure were cultured in vitro for 18 h. Some embryos survived and their structures re-formed to the former state, while other embryos showed serious injuries and could not reconstitute the blastocoele. Three post-warming embryos treated by the two-step procedure that survived after in vitro culture were transferred to three recipients and one of these resulted in pregnancy. These results indicate that cryopreservation by vitrification can damage membranous structures of the cells of bovine embryos, the extent and nature of this damage being dependent on the vitrification procedure.

Usefulness of polyethylene glycol for cryopreservation by vitrification of in vitro-derived bovine blastocysts.

A series of five experiments measured the high survival of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro after cryopreservation by vitrification. The vitrification solution (designated VS) contained 40% (v/v) ethylene glycol, 6% (w/v) polyethylene glycol and 0.5 M sucrose in phosphate-buffered saline. Embryos developed in vitro at Days 7 and 8 (Day 0 = insemination day) were exposed in one step to VS for 1 min or two steps with 10% ethylene glycol for 5 min and then VS for 1 min. In both cases, the embryos were finally cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. After the embryos were warmed rapidly and the VS solution diluted, the survival rates were assessed by monitoring hatching rate in vitro. They were 13.0% for the one-step and 72.7% for the two-step procedures (P < 0.001). When embryos were exposed to individual solutions containing 6% (w/v) of each of 4 macromolecules (polyethylene glycol, BSA, polyvinylpyrrolidone or Ficoll) in the two-step protocol and then cryopreserved, the survival rates were 79.3, 34.8, 41.4 and 57.1%, respectively. After embryos had been exposed to the VS in two steps and then cryopreserved, there were no significant differences in survival rates when the solutions were diluted with or without sucrose. These results indicated that a vitrification solution containing polyethylene glycol can be used for cryopreservation of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro, and that a two-step addition of VS improved the in vitro survival of post-warming embryos. It was also shown to be possible to dilute post-warming embryos directly without the use of sucrose solution.

Effects of bovine serum proteins in culture medium on post-warming survival of bovine blastocysts developed in vitro.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the factors affecting the survival of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro after cryopreservation by vitrification. Zygotes were obtained by in vitro maturation and fertilization of oocytes. Embryos used in this study were developed in vitro at Day 7 and 8 (Day 0 = insemination day) in modified synthetic oviduct fluid medium supplemented with calf serum or BSA. Embryos were cryopreserved in a two-step protocol consisting of exposure to 10% ethylene glycol for 5 min, followed by the original vitrification solution (designated as VS) consisting of 40% (v/v) ethylene glycol, 6% (w/v) polyethylene glycol and 0.5 M sucrose in phosphate-buffered saline for 1 min. After warming, embryos were cultured in modified TCM-199 for an in vitro survival assay. The highest survival rate was obtained from the warmed embryos developed at Day 7 in medium supplemented with BSA (82.6%), and there were significant differences between results with calf scrum and BSA treatment (42.4 and 70.7%, respectively; P < 0.01). However, there were no significant differences in the cell numbers of embryos among the treatments. These results suggest that the survival of embryos developed in medium with BSA is superior to that of embryos developed in medium containing calf serum, although the cell numbers of the embryos developed under both media were similar.

Vitrification of rat blastocysts developed in vitro.

Approximately 50% of rat 8-cell embryos obtained from the oviduct on day 4 of pregnancy developed to the blastocyst stage after 18 of incubation in vitro. The embryos were compared with in vivo blastocysts derived from the uterus on day 5 of pregnancy as regards their response to vitrification treatment. Before vitrification, both types of embryos were exposed to vitrification solution, and subsequent embryonic development was inhibited with increasing time of exposure. A greater suppression of development after exposure was observed in the embryos cultured in vitro compared with in vivo blastocysts. However, development was gradually restored as in vitro incubation was continued. The response of embryos to vitrification and warming treatments was shown to be almost the same for both in vitro and in vivo blastocysts, though the former were significantly (p < 0.05) less tolerant of exposure to vitrification solution. These results suggest that in vitro blastocysts were much more susceptible to vitrification solution than in vivo blastocysts. The degree of damage caused by vitrification and thawing treatments, and the inhibition of in vitro embryonic development, were significantly (p < 0.05) more serious for in vitro blastocysts.