Role of Oocyte Quality in Determining Cryosurvival of In Vitro Produced Cattle Embryos
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.22.2.27Keywords:
Cattle, Cryopreservation, Cryotolerance, In vitro embryo production, Oocyte quality, Ovum pick-up.Abstract
The study was conducted over a six-month period at OPU-IVEP-ET Facility of the National Dairy Development Board, Anand. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were retrieved from Gir, Sahiwal and Holstein Friesian crossbred donor cows and heifers, with and without ovarian stimulation, using transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up (OPU). Recovered oocytes were morphologically graded according to IETS guidelines and subjected to standard in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture protocols. Based on oocyte quality and ovarian stimulation status, oocytes were categorized into four groups: Group 1 (Grade 1-2 oocytes from non-stimulated donors), Group 2 (Grade 3-4 oocytes from non-stimulated donors), Group 3 (FSH-stimulated donors with pooled oocytes) and Group D (Pooled non-stimulated-control group). Embryo developmental competence was assessed using cleavage rate, embryo development rate (EDR), freezable embryo percentage and discarded embryo percentage. Morphologically transferable embryos (Code 1 and 2) were cryopreserved using a slow-freezing protocol, and post-thaw survivability was evaluated after 24 h of in vitro culture. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and pair-wise Chi-square test. Cleavage rate and EDR were numerically higher (p > 0.05) in all experimental groups compared to group D. Group 3 exhibited the highest proportion of freezable embryos (90.25 ± 6.03%) and the lowest discard rate (9.74 ± 6.03%), indicating superior embryo quality. Post-thaw survivability was also highest in Group 3 (71.43%), followed by Group 1 (68.97%), Group D (60.00%) and Group 2 (54.17%), though no significant differences were observed among groups (p > 0.05). The findings indicate that embryo quality parameters, particularly freezable embryo proportion and discard rate, are more sensitive indicators of developmental competence and cryotolerance than cleavage rate or EDR alone. Optimization of oocyte quality and follicular environment, especially through ovarian stimulation, enhances embryo freezing suitability and post-thaw viability in bovine IVEP programs.Downloads
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