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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Culture of Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor Differentiated Human Monocyte-derived Macrophages
Published on: June 30, 2016
Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and co-culture can affect post-thaw development and
Nina Desai1, Namita Kattal, Faten F AbdelHafez
1The Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center, 26900 Cedar Road, Beachwood, OH 44122, USA. desain@ccf.org
Purpose:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of growth factor supplementation and Vero cell co-culture on apoptosis and development of frozen thawed one-cell mouse embryos.
Methods:
The following treatment regimens were assessed: (a) control medium (b) Vero cell co-culture and (c) growth factor supplemented medium. The individual growth factors tested were: GM-CSF, IGF-I, IGF-II, TNF-alpha, FGF-4, LIF, TGF-alpha, TGF-beta, IL-6, PDGF and EGF. Blastocyst development and differentiation were monitored. At termination of the experiments, overall blastomere number and apoptosis were assessed using the TUNEL assay.
Results:
No differences were observed in blastulation and hatching rates. ICM differentiation in thawed embryos was notably improved with either co-culture or growth factor supplementation. The only growth factor significantly modulating apoptosis in thawed embryos was granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF enhanced continued cell survival and prevented apoptosis but did not influence overall cell number in developing blastocysts. Vero cell co-culture significantly increased cell number in blastocysts (124+/-42 vs 100+/-44 in control; P<0.05). Embryonic apoptosis was higher in the co-cultured embryos. The increased presence of apoptotic cells in blastocysts of high cell number may reflect the regulatory role of apoptosis in balancing ICM: TE ratios.
Conclusion:
These data indicate that culture conditions can modulate post-thaw embryonic development and apoptosis.
