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Effects of duration of cryo-storage of mouse oocytes on cryo-survival, fertilization and embryonic development following vitrification

  • Fertility Preservation
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of cryo-storage duration in liquid nitrogen on oocyte cryo-survival, fertilization and embryonic development following vitrification and warming.

Methods

Mature mouse oocytes were vitrified with McGill Cryoleaf and stored in liquid nitrogen for a period of 8–10 days, 90–92 days and 180–182 days, respectively. After warming, the survived oocytes were inseminated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cultured for 120 h. The rates of oocyte cryo-survival, cleavage and embryonic development were compared.

Result(s)

The oocyte cryo-survival rate declined following cryo-storage duration for 180–182 days (90.4 ± 7.9%) compared to that of the other two groups (97.4 ± 3.0% and 98.0 ± 3.3%). The fertilization rate in the group of 180–182 days (66.6 ± 22.0%) was also significantly reduced (P < 0.05) compared with the groups of 8–10 days (92.2 ± 10.8%) and 90–92 days (94.7 ± 9.1%). In addition, the number of embryos developed to the blastocyst stage declined significantly (P < 0.05) following long cryo-storage duration (72.1 ± 8.2%, 25.2 ± 3.8% and 5.5 ± 13.6%, respectively).

Conclusion(s)

The cryo-survival, fertilization rate and embryonic development of mouse oocytes are affected significantly, in an adverse manner, by the cryo-storage duration in liquid nitrogen.

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Acknowledgements

This research project was funded by the McGill Reproductive Center, McGill University Health Center (MUHC), Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dr. J. Yan was supported by the Cross and Emerging Discipline Research Funds of Peking University (No.BMU20090514-603), the Major State Basic Research Development Program of the People’s Republic of China (No.2007CB948102) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China Grants (No.2011CB944504) to pursue her study in Canada. Many thanks to Dr. Lv Xiuling from the Department of Clinical Epidemiological Study in the Peking University Third Hospital for revising statistic analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China

    Jie Yan & Jie Qiao

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Jie Yan, Joao Suzuki, Xiao-Min Yu & Ri-Cheng Chian

  3. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    Frederick W. K. Kan

  4. Royal Victoria Hospital, Women’s Pavilion F3, 687 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada, H3A 1A1

    Ri-Cheng Chian

  5. Medical Center for Human Reproduction, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China

    Jie Qiao

Authors
  1. Jie Yan
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  2. Joao Suzuki
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  3. Xiao-Min Yu
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  4. Jie Qiao
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  5. Frederick W. K. Kan
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  6. Ri-Cheng Chian
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Correspondence to Jie Qiao or Ri-Cheng Chian.

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The cryo-survival, fertilization rate and embryonic development of mouse oocytes are affected significantly by the duration of cryo-storage in liquid nitrogen.

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Yan, J., Suzuki, J., Yu, XM. et al. Effects of duration of cryo-storage of mouse oocytes on cryo-survival, fertilization and embryonic development following vitrification. J Assist Reprod Genet 28, 643–649 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-011-9563-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-011-9563-3

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