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Globulins in protein supplements promote the development of preimplantation embryos
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
Purpose:
Our purpose was to investigate the effect of alpha- and beta-globulins contained in protein supplements on the development of preimplantation embryos.
Methods:
Mouse one-cell embryos were cultured in medium supplemented with 4 mg/ml human serum albumin (HSA), 4 mg/ml HSA plus human globulins (0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mg/ml) that consisted predominantly of alpha- and beta-globulins, or 10% Plasmanate Cutter (PC). Blastocysts developed in media supplemented with these various protein sources were stained with Hoechst 33342 to determine the number of cells.
Results:
Supplementation with 0.4 to 1.6 mg/ml globulins or PC significantly increased the rate of blastocyst development compared with that observed with the addition of HSA. Supplementation with globulins significantly increased the hatching rate in a dose-dependent manner. The number of cells in the blastocysts was significantly increased when the embryos were cultured with 0.8 mg/ml of the globulins or PC.
Conclusions:
The present observations suggest that alpha- and beta-globulins in protein supplements promote embryo development and hatching.