Transport of equine ovaries for assisted reproduction.
Abstract: Use of assisted reproduction to obtain foals from valuable mares post-mortem typically necessitates holding of ovaries during shipment to a laboratory. The present study evaluated whether holding ovaries briefly at a warm ( approximately 30 degrees C) temperature improves meiotic and developmental competence of oocytes, as determined after maturation in vitro and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Ovaries were packaged in pairs in insulated containers, and held either at 24 or 25-35 degrees C for 4h, followed by cooling. Ovaries in both treatments were held for either a short (mean, 7-7.4h) or long (mean, 20.6-20.7h) duration before oocyte recovery. Control ovaries were collected en masse at the abattoir. The ovary temperature in this treatment slowly decreased to approximately 27 degrees C; oocyte recovery was performed after 3.5-7h total holding. There was no effect of temperature on oocyte meiotic or developmental competence within either treatment time period. Oocytes in the short duration holding group had similar meiotic competence to controls, but had a significantly decreased rate (P<0.05) of blastocyst development. Oocytes in the long duration holding group had decreased (P<0.05) meiotic competence and blastocyst development compared to controls. These findings indicate that storage of equine ovaries for only 7h may decrease blastocyst development, and that longer storage reduces both rate of oocyte maturation and blastocyst development. Further work is needed to determine if there is a critical time before 7h post-mortem by which equine oocytes should be recovered to maximize developmental competence.
Publication Date: 2007-08-15 PubMed ID: 17888596DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2007.08.001Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates the effects of holding equine ovaries at different temperatures and time spans on the development of oocytes and blastocysts. The main finding is that storing equine ovaries for over 7 hours may decrease the rates of blastocyst development and oocyte maturation.
Objective and Methodology
- The research was carried out to determine if the temporary storage of equine ovaries at approximately 30 degrees Celsius before being shipped to a lab would enhance the development and competence of oocytes and blastocysts.
- The ovaries were stored in pairs within insulated containers and kept at either 24 degrees Celsius or a range of 25-35 degrees Celsius for a period of 4 hours prior to cooling. After this holding period, the ovaries were then stored for a short period (average of 7-7.4 hours) or a longer period (average of 20.6-20.7 hours) before oocyte recovery occurred.
- The control group ovaries were amass collected at the abattoir, where the temperature steadily decreased to around 27 degrees Celsius prior to oocyte recovery, which was carried out after a total holding time of 3.5-7 hours.
Findings
- The temperature at which the ovaries were held did not appear to impact the competence of the oocytes or the development of the blastocyst during either holding period.
- Oocytes in the short duration holding group showed similar meiotic competence to the control group but showed a significant decrease in the rate of blastocyst development.
- Significantly lower competence in meiotic activity and blastocyst development compared to control group was noted in oocytes from the long duration holding group.
Implications
- From the results of the experiment, it appears that storing equine ovaries for more than 7 hours can negatively affect the development of blastocysts and maturation of oocytes.
- The researchers suggest that there could be a critical time period shorter than 7 hours post-mortem during which equine oocytes should be recovered in order to maximize their developmental competence. Further research is advised to determine this precise time frame.
Cite This Article
APA
Ribeiro BI, Love LB, Choi YH, Hinrichs K.
(2007).
Transport of equine ovaries for assisted reproduction.
Anim Reprod Sci, 108(1-2), 171-179.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anireprosci.2007.08.001 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Embryo Transfer / veterinary
- Female
- Fertilization in Vitro / veterinary
- Horses / physiology
- Oocytes / physiology
- Ovary / physiology
- Specimen Handling / veterinary
- Temperature
- Time Factors
- Tissue Preservation / methods
- Tissue Preservation / veterinary
- Transportation
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Ortiz I, Dorado J, Pereira B, Diaz-Jimenez M, Consuegra C, Gosalvez J, Hidalgo M. DNA fragmentation of equine cumulus cells from Cumulus-Oocyte complexes submitted to vitrification and its relationship to the developmental competence of the oocyte. Reprod Domest Anim 2022 Oct;57 Suppl 5(Suppl 5):64-67.
- Martín-Maestro A, Sánchez-Ajofrín I, Maside C, Peris-Frau P, Medina-Chávez DA, Cardoso B, Navarro JC, Fernández-Santos MR, Garde JJ, Soler AJ. Cellular and Molecular Events that Occur in the Oocyte during Prolonged Ovarian Storage in Sheep. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 17;10(12).
- Sánchez-Ajofrín I, Iniesta-Cuerda M, Peris-Frau P, Martín-Maestro A, Medina-Chávez DA, Maside C, Fernández-Santos MR, Ortiz JA, Montoro V, Garde JJ, Soler AJ. Beneficial Effects of Melatonin in the Ovarian Transport Medium on In Vitro Embryo Production of Iberian Red Deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus). Animals (Basel) 2020 Apr 27;10(5).
- Duncan FE, Zelinski M, Gunn AH, Pahnke JE, O'Neill CL, Songsasen N, Woodruff RI, Woodruff TK. Ovarian tissue transport to expand access to fertility preservation: from animals to clinical practice. Reproduction 2016 Dec;152(6):R201-R210.
- Lee W, Song K, Lee I, Shin H, Lee BC, Yeon S, Jang G. Cloned foal derived from in vivo matured horse oocytes aspirated by the short disposable needle system. J Vet Sci 2015;16(4):509-16.
- Martino NA, Dell'Aquila ME, Filioli Uranio M, Rutigliano L, Nicassio M, Lacalandra GM, Hinrichs K. Effect of holding equine oocytes in meiosis inhibitor-free medium before in vitro maturation and of holding temperature on meiotic suppression and mitochondrial energy/redox potential. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2014 Oct 11;12:99.
- Du Y, Xie W, Liu C. Strategies and considerations for distributing and recovering mouse lines. Methods Enzymol 2010;476:37-52.
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