Comparison of embryonic developmental competence of mouse oocytes grown with and without serum

The first objective of this study was to determine whether oocyte growth in serum-free medium affects the solubility of the zona pellucida to alpha-chymotrypsin digestion, which is an index of zona pellucida "hardening" and reflects the potential penetrability of the zona pellucida by sperm. Oocyte-granulosa cell complexes were isolated from the preantral follicles of 12-day-old mice and cultured for 10 days in medium containing 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or in serum-free medium. The zonae pellucidae of oocytes grown in serum-free medium were four times as hard as freshly isolated germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes grown in vivo or oocytes grown in vitro in FBS-containing medium. The hardening of the zonae pellucidae of oocytes grown in serum-free medium was prevented by addition of fetuin. The second objective was to compare the competence to undergo embryogenesis of oocytes that grew in serum-free vs. FBS-containing medium. Approximately 70% of the oocytes underwent maturation regardless of whether the medium was serum-free or contained FBS. Of the mature ova grown in medium containing FBS, 53% cleaved to the two-cell stage after insemination compared with only 6% of the ova grown in serum-free medium. Addition of fetuin to the serum-free medium used for oocyte growth increased the frequency of cleavage to the two-cell stage. Of the embryos derived from oocytes that grew in FBS-containing medium, 70% completed the two-cell stage to blastocyst transition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)