The Influence of the Culture Medium on In Vitro Meiotic Competence of Canine Oocytes

Abstract

Although in carnivores modern breeding biotechnologies have developed particularly over the last 15 years, studies in the bitch oocytes are less than in other species due to the reduced availability of biological material. A major problem for in vitro embryo production in dogs is the particular ovulation physiology in this species. In vitro maturation of bitch oocytes is influenced by several factors: age of the donor female, estrous phase, hormonal stimulation, transport conditions of the samples, size and quality of the oocytes, the culture medium and atmosphere. To increase the rate of in vitro maturation of bitch oocytes, over time different media were used. The present approach focuses on summarizing the most frequently used mediums and their results for in vitro maturation of canine oocytes.

Keywords

• canine
• in vitro
• maturation
• medium
• oocyte