Culture of bovine embryos to the blastocyst stage using Buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells

• Published in: Theriogenology Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 723 - 738
• Main Authors: van Inzen, W.G., van Stekelenburg-Hamers, A.E.P., Weima, S.M., Kruip, T.A.M., Bevers, M.M., Mummery, C.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.1995
• Subjects: bovine embryos; BRL cells; co-culture; conditioned medium; ID Lelystad, Institute for Animal Science and Health; ID-Lelystad, Instituut voor Dierhouderij en Diergezondheid; conditioned medium; BRL cells; co-culture; bovine embryos
• ISSN: 0093-691X; 1879-3231
• DOI: 10.1016/0093-691X(95)00015-Z

A comparison was made between the development of in vitro matured and fertilized bovine oocytes in co-culture with bovine oviduct epithelial (BOE) cells or with Buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells. Both cell types supported development from the 1-cell to the blastocyst stage with equal efficiencies (4.4% for BRL cells, 4.0% for BOE cells). Medium conditioned by either cell type supported development to the blastocyst stage as efficiently as co-cultures (6.4 and 7.3% blastocysts for BOE and BRL conditioned medium, respectively). A higher percentage of blastocyst development was found when embryos were cultured closely apposed in small drops of BRL-conditioned medium compared with larger volumes (20.5 versus 7.0%). The ability of BRL-conditioned medium to support embryonic development was dependent on the duration of the conditioning period (optimum 24 to 48 h), and was not lost when the medium was stored at −20 °C for extended periods. The effects were independent of the conditions used to promote maturation in vitro and the procedure for fertilization. With 2 different methods to produce embryos in culture, both the BRL cell co-culture and BRL-conditioned medium in microdrops supported embryo development to the blastocyst stage. The use of the BRL cell line reduces the variability associated with primary BOE cell cultures.