Effects of IGF-I and EGF Supplemented to PZM3 Culture Medium on the Development of Porcine Embryos In vitro

This study investigated the effects of IGF-I and EGF on the development of blastocysts or hatched blastocysts during the in vitro culture of embryos from immature porcine oocytes.After the in vitro maturation and fertilization of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and their culture in vitro in PZM3 medium, we examined the embryo development rate for 168 h.When different concentrations of IGF-I (0, 1, 10, 20 ng/ml) were supplemented to fertilized porcine embryos in vitro, there were no significant differences in cleavage rate, blastocyst development rate or blastocyst hatching rate among the treated groups.On the other hand, when different concentrations of EGF (0, 1, 10, 20 ng/ml) were supplemented to the in vitro culture medium, blastocyst development rate was highest in the group in which EGF was not supplemented and, specifically, it was higher than in the 20 ng/ml treatment group (p<0.05).When 10 ng/ml IGF-I and 1 ng/ml EGF were supplemented separately or simultaneously, there were no significant differences among the treated groups in blastocyst hatching rate and the number of cells in each condition.This study demonstrated that the addition of IGF-I and EGF into PZM3 medium did not enhance development of the blastocyst stage and total cell number in blastocysts.(