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Updated: May 12, 2026
Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation
Published on: July 30, 2020
Selection of in vitro-matured porcine oocytes based on localization patterns of lipid droplets to evaluate
Kou Hiraga1, Yumi Hoshino, Kentaro Tanemura
1Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 981-8555, Japan.
Abstract:
Localization patterns of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of porcine oocytes were evaluated as a novel marker for in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes with high developmental competence. Porcine oocytes were cultured in TCM-199, which is a complete synthetic medium, for 44 h at 38.5 C. Localization patterns were divided into 2 classes: lipid droplets localized uniformly in the whole cytoplasm (class I) and those that were centrally located (class II). After IVM in TCM-199, 60% of matured oocytes exhibited the class II pattern. To investigate the relation between the distribution of lipid droplets and the developmental rate of the oocyte, the developmental rates of class I and class II oocytes were compared after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Class II oocytes showed a significantly higher rate of blastocyst development than class I oocytes. These results suggest that porcine oocytes with high developmental competence can be selected based on the localization patterns of lipid droplets.
