Short-term coculture of bovine embryo-luteal cells: an alternative to improve IVP

MARURI, A.; CRUZANS, PR.; LORENZO, MS.; TELLO, MF.; TEPLITZ, G.; CAROU, MC.; LOMBARDO, D.M.

THERIOGENOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018 p. 143 - 149

0093-691X

The coculture with somatic cells is an alternative to improvesuboptimal in vitro culture (IVC) conditions and promote embryodevelopment. Several cell types have been used for this purpose, butthere is no information about using luteal cells in short-term coculturewith embryos. Consequently, this study aimed to assess the effect of ashort-term coculture of early bovine embryos-luteal cells on the in vitrodevelopment and embryo quality. In vitro produced embryos were randomlycultured into two groups during the first 48 h of IVC: medium alone(control) and coculture with bovine luteal cells. Then, embryos from bothgroups were cultured in medium alone from day 2 to day 8. The developmentrates on day 8 were compared between groups. The level of reactive oxygenspecies (ROS) and proliferation rates were evaluated in cleaved day 2-embryos, and late apoptosis and proliferation rates were determined inday 7-blastocysts. Our results showed that the coculture with bovineluteal cells increased the blastocyst rate compared to the control (50.4%vs. 29.8%; p < 0.05), but there were no differences in the cleavage rateson day 2. The rate of stage 6-blastocysts was higher in the coculture(37.3% vs. 23.8% control; p < 0.05), without differences in the expansionand hatching rates compared to the control. After 48 h of IVC, the ROSlevel in cleaved embryos was higher in the coculture than the control (82vs. 57.1; p < 0.05), and the cell proliferation rate was higher in thecoculture (48% vs. 13% control; p < 0.05), without differences in themean number of cells between groups. In day 7-blastocysts, the apoptosisrate decreased in the coculture with bovine luteal cells during the first48 h of IVC (4.1% vs. 10.9% control; p < 0.05), whereas the cellproliferation rate and the mean number of cells did not differ betweengroups. It is the first report of a short-term coculture of IVP embryosand bovine luteal cells. The high blastocyst rates obtained, in additionto their higher quality, postulate this coculture as a valid alternativeto increase the efficiency of the IVP of embryos in cattle.