Two culture systems showing a biphasic effect on ovine embryo development from the 1-2 cell stage to hatched blastocysts.

This study compared the effect of using either CZB or TCM 199 media on both the development of 1-2 cell ovine embryos from superovulated ewes to the blastocyst stage (Experiment 1), and the hatching process of ovine blastocysts developed in vitro (Experiment 2). For the first 5 d, the CZB medium showed higher rates of embryo development than the TCM 199 medium (p < 0.001). The embryos reaching the > 16 cell stage were 79 vs 52% and 74 vs 20% with or without an oviductal monolayer, respectively, and those reaching the blastocyst stage were 71 vs 46% and 46 vs 13% with or without cells. The CZB medium was less able to support the hatching process of the blastocysts obtained in the first experiment than was the TCM-199 medium + 10% FCS (fetal calf serum) with cells (31 vs 92%; p < 0.001) or without cells (13 vs 66%; p < 0.001). No blastocysts completely escaped from the zona pellucida (ZP) in the CZB medium compared with 80 and 61% in the TCM 199 medium with or without cells, respectively. In Experiment 3, 47% of the blastocysts migrated through the artificial opening of the ZP and hatched completely. After 24 h of culture in the CZB medium, however, they showed blastocoelic cavity breakdown. During the preliminary cleavages, the ovine embryos developed better in CZB medium than in TCM 199, but the latter was more efficient in promoting the hatching process of the blastocysts.