Simple and Efficient Vitrification Procedure for Cryopreservation of Mouse Embryos

• Published in: Experimental Animals Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 231 - 234
• Main Authors: NAKAO, Kazuki, NAKAGATA, Naomi, KATSUKI, Motoya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science 01-07-1997
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Survival; cryopreservation; Cryopreservation - methods; Embryo, Mammalian - physiology; Embryonic and Fetal Development; Female; Fertilization in Vitro; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; mouse embryo; Oocytes; Pregnancy; simple vitrification; Tissue Preservation
• ISSN: 1341-1357; 1881-7122
• DOI: 10.1538/expanim.46.231

Mouse pronuclear oocytes and 2-cell embryos derived from in vitro fertilization were cryopreserved by a novel simple vitrification procedure. Most cryopreserved oocytes/embryos were morphologically normal after warming, and 89-92% of them developed to the blastocyst stage during the culture. Moreover, the rate of morphologically normal pronuclear oocytes after being repeatedly cooled and warmed three times was as high as that of oocytes cooled and warmed only once, and 85% of them developed to the blastocyst stage. In addition, 43-57% of the cryopreserved oocytes/embryos transferred to recipients had developed normally to live fetuses observed on day 18.5 of pregnancy.