The Effect of Bovine Serum Albumin on in Vitro Growth and Development of Mouse Two-Cell Stage Embryos

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of bovine serum albumin on in vitro growth and development of mouse(C57BL×CBA) one-cell stage embryos in simple and complex media.

One-cell stage mouse embryos were differentiated to two-cell stage at an identical rate regardless of the nature of the media. simple(m-KRB) or complex(Harn's F-10). When bovine serum albumin was added to the media, one-cell stage embryos were also differentiated to two-cell stage at an identical rate in both simple and complex media.

So. therefore, exogenous factors such as the ingredients of media and protein supplementation did not seem to affect the early in vitro growth and development of one-cell stage mouse embryos to two-cell stage.

But, the late in vitro growth and development of one-cell stage mouse embryos from two-cell stage through blastualtion in complex medium were superior to those in simple medium.

And the late in vitro growth and development in bovine serum albumin supplemented simple medium was better than in bovine serum albumin free simple medium, but the late in vitro growth and development in bovine serum albumin supplemented complex medium was identical to those in bovine serum albumin free complex medium.

However, there is no definite conclusion to be made for including or for omitting protein in the preparation of media for the culture of preimplantation embryos. Rather, there may be some specific needs that depend on the species of embryos and on their stage of development, and perhaps on the purity of other ingredients of the media.