Nonessential amino acids and glutamine decrease the time of the first three cleavage divisions and increase compaction of mouse zygotes in vitro.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing embryo culture media with amino acids on the duration of the first three cell cycles of mouse zygotes in vitro.
METHODS: Zygotes were cultured in the presence of different groups of amino acids and cleavage assessed every 30 min.
RESULTS: Culture of zygotes with Eagle's nonessential amino acids and glutamine significantly reduced the time of cleavage divisions to the eight-cell stage compared to culture without amino acids. Beneficial effects of amino acids were found to be cumulative over time. Nonessential amino acids and glutamine also increased the percentage of eight-cells that compacted after 57 hr of culture compared to embryos in medium devoid of amino acids.
CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that media for the development of cleavage-stage embryos, such as in clinical IVF, should be supplemented with Eagle's nonessential amino acids and glutamine.