Survival of bovine fibroblasts and cumulus cells after vitrification

The aim of the experiment was to investigate the effect of vitrification on viability and the cell cycle of bovine cumulus cells and fibroblasts after culture with or without serum starvation. In all vitrified-thawed bovine somatic cells, the number of samples that reached the confluence stage was high (50 to 100%). The viability of vitrified somatic cells depended on the concentration of the cells. The viability was higher for cells vitrified at the concentration of 10 x 10(6) per ml than for cells vitrified at a concentration of 1 x 10(6) per ml (p < 0.05; for cumulus cell, and fibroblast). Time of cell starving has had no impact on their susceptibility to vitrification in case of vitrified cumulus cells. Starving time caused shifts in proportions of subsequent cell cycle phases of vitrified fibroblasts and cumulus cells. In conclusion, the bovine cumulus and fibroblast cells can be cryopreserved successfully by vitrification procedure.