Effect of epidermal growth factor on the in vitro maturation of mouse oocytes

Objective To study the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the in vitro maturation and fertilization development of mouse oocytes.Methods Mouse oocytes were cultured in maturing media adding different concentrations(0,0.1,1,5,10 ng/mL)of EGF,and the rates of maturation were detected 24 h after culture.Results When oocytes were cultured in maturation medium with supplementation of 5 ng/mL or 10 ng/mL EGF,the rates of the first polar extraction had significant difference with the control group(P0.05),and the rate of oocytes matured in 5 ng/mL EGF was significantly(P0.05) higher than that of other groups;Supplementation of cultured media with EGF at the concentration of 0,0.1,1,5,10 ng/mL didn’t cause a significant increase in the rate of blastocyst formation,however,the rates of hatched blastocyst and 2-cell block alleviation in the groups which the cultured medium with supplementation of 5 ng/mL EGF were higher than control group (P0.01).Conclusion EGF can increase the rate of maturation,hatched blastocyst,and 2-cell block overcoming.