Abstract: The objective was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of two media for in vitro culture of equine preantral follicles. Ovarian cortical strips were obtained from mares (N = 10) via the Biopsy Pick-Up method during the breeding season. Ovarian tissue was immediately submitted to histological analysis (noncultured control; D0) or cultured in situ for 1 day (D1) or 7 days (D7) in either α-MEM or TCM-199 and submitted to histological analysis, generating five treatment groups: noncultured control, α-MEM:D1, TCM-199:D1, α-MEM:D7, and TCM-199:D7. Preantral follicles were evaluated for follicle class (primordial, transitional, primary, and secondary) and morphology (normal vs. abnormal). A total of 142 preantral follicles were analyzed in five replicates. No follicles were observed in the TCM-199:D7 treatment group. The proportion of primordial follicles was higher (P < 0.03) in the control compared to the α-MEM:D7 treatment group. The proportion of primary follicles was higher (P < 0.04) in the α-MEM:D7 treatment group compared to the control. The proportion of developing follicles (transitional, primary, and secondary) was higher (P < 0.03) in the α-MEM:D7 treatment group compared to the control group. There was a greater (P < 0.004) percentage of morphologically normal developing follicles in the α-MEM:D1 treatment group compared to the TCM-199:D1 treatment group. Overall, the percentage of morphologically normal follicles was higher in the control group (72%; P < 0.02) and α-MEM:D1 group (84%; P < 0.0001) compared to the α-MEM:D7 (27%) treatment group. Mean follicle diameter was greater (P < 0.04) in the α-MEM:D7 treatment group (40.6 ± 1.1 μm) compared to the control group (37.3 ± 0.7 μm). Mean oocyte diameter was greater in the α-MEM:D1 (31.0 ± 0.7 μm; P < 0.006), TCM-199:D1 (30.7 ± 1.8 μm; P < 0.006), and α-MEM:D7 (33.2 ± 1.8 μm; P < 0.006) treatment groups compared to the control group (27.4 ± 0.9 μm). In conclusion, based on these preliminary data, in vitro culture of equine ovarian fragments obtained in vivo via the Biopsy Pick-Up method promoted preantral follicle development and follicle and oocyte growth in α-MEM for 7 days, with some follicles remaining morphologically normal throughout the culture period.
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The research study investigates the effectiveness of two different media, α-MEM or TCM-199, in the in-vitro culture of equine preantral follicles. The research found promising initial results suggesting that the use of α-MEM for 7 days can promote preantral follicle development in cultures obtained by the Biopsy Pick-Up method.
Methodology
The research used equine ovarian tissue obtained from ten mares via the Biopsy Pick-Up method.
These tissues were immediately subjected to a histological analysis, or they were cultured for a short period of either one day (D1) or seven days (D7).
Two types of media were used for the culture: α-MEM and TCM-199, creating five treatment groups for the experiment. These groups were; noncultured control, α-MEM:D1, TCM-199:D1, α-MEM:D7, and TCM-199:D7.
Follicle Analysis
The researchers evaluated the preantral follicles based on their class (primordial, transitional, primary, secondary) and their morphology (normal vs. abnormal).
In total, 142 preantral follicles were analyzed for this study.
Findings
No follicles were observed in the TCM-199:D7 treatment group, suggesting this method was unsuccessful.
There was a higher proportion of primordial follicles in the control group compared to the α-MEM culture of 7 days. However, there were more of the primary (developing) follicles in the α-MEM:D7 group than in the control, indicative of development in vitro.
The study also found a higher percentage of morphologically normal follicles in the α-MEM:D1 treatment group compared to the TCM-199:D1 treatment group, implying that α-MEM might be a better medium for follicle development in vitro.
In terms of growth and development, the mean follicle and oocyte diameters were larger in the α-MEM:D1 and α-MEM:D7 groups compared to the control group. This suggests that the α-MEM medium can promote growth.
Conclusion
Based on these results, the research concludes that utilising α-MEM for in-vitro culture of equine ovarian fragments helps to promote preantral follicle development. This discovery could have implications for advancements in reproductive biotechnology in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Haag KT, Magalhães-Padilha DM, Fonseca GR, Wischral A, Gastal MO, King SS, Jones KL, Figueiredo JR, Gastal EL.
(2013).
In vitro culture of equine preantral follicles obtained via the Biopsy Pick-Up method.
Theriogenology, 79(6), 911-917.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2013.01.001
Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
Magalhães-Padilha, D M
Fonseca, G R
Wischral, A
Gastal, M O
King, S S
Jones, K L
Figueiredo, J R
Gastal, E L
MeSH Terms
Animals
Biopsy / methods
Biopsy / veterinary
Cell Culture Techniques / veterinary
Culture Media
Female
Horses / physiology
Ovarian Follicle / cytology
Ovarian Follicle / growth & development
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.
Taghizabet N, Bahmanpour S, Fard NZ, Rezaei-Tazangi F, Hassanpour A, Nejad EK, Aliakbari F, Dehghani F. In vitro growth of the ovarian follicle: taking stock of advances in research. JBRA Assist Reprod 2022 Aug 4;26(3):508-521.
Simon LE, Kumar TR, Duncan FE. In vitro ovarian follicle growth: a comprehensive analysis of key protocol variables†. Biol Reprod 2020 Aug 21;103(3):455-470.
Castañeda OJR, de Aguiar FLN, de Sá NAR, Morais MLGDS, Cibin FWS, Torres CAA, de Figueiredo JR. Powdered coconut water (ACP 406®) as an alternative base culture medium for in vitro culture of goat preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue. Anim Reprod 2019 Nov 18;16(4):838-845.