Developmental potential of sheep oocytes cultured in different maturation media: effects of epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I, and cysteamine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and cysteamine (Cys) in defined maturation medium (DMM: basic culture medium + polyvinyl alcohol), semidefined maturation medium (SDMM: basic culture medium + bovine serum albumin), and undefined maturation medium (UDMM: basic culture medium + fetal bovine serum) on the cleavage rates and developmental capacity of sheep oocytes. STUDY
DESIGN: Prospective experimental study.
SETTING: Department of Animal Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. ANIMAL(S): Ovine oocytes. INTERVENTION(S): Oocytes were treated in culture with growth factors and antioxidant-supplemented media to examine effects on embryo development. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Cleavage and embryo development. RESULT(S): The addition of Cys to DMM supplemented with EGF and IGF-I improved the mean blastocyst formation compared medium without Cys. The combination of EGF + IGF-I + and Cys in UDMM resulted in a higher proportion of cleavage and greater morula and blastocyst yields than DMM + EGF + IGF-I + Cys or SDMM + EGF + IGF-I + Cys. CONCLUSION(S): Undefined maturation medium supplemented with EGF, IGF-I, and Cys resulted in a higher proportion of cleavage and greater morula and blastocyst yields than DMM and SDMM supplemented with growth factors and antioxidants. Copyright (c) 2010 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.