Progesterone improves porcine in vitro fertilisation system

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Animal Science

Background:

• Improving in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques is crucial for efficient animal breeding and research.
• Porcine oocyte developmental competence is a key factor in successful embryo production.
• Progestagens, a class of progesterone analogues, are being investigated for their potential role in enhancing reproductive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of progestagens on the in vitro developmental competence of porcine oocytes.
• To determine if progestagen supplementation improves fertilization success and nuclear maturation in pigs.

Main Methods:

• 1421 in vitro matured porcine oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed spermatozoa.
• Progestagens were added to the late maturation and embryo culture media.
• Fertilization parameters including prematuration, penetration, monospermy, and efficiency were assessed.
• Nuclear maturation rates were also evaluated.

Main Results:

• Progestagen supplementation significantly increased sperm penetration rates (75.0% vs. 51.7% in control, P < 0.001).
• No significant differences were observed in prematuration or monospermy rates.
• Progestagen addition enhanced the overall efficiency of the in vitro fertilization system (P < 0.001).
• A significant beneficial effect on nuclear maturation was also noted (P = 0.035).

Conclusions:

• Progestagen supplementation is a valuable strategy for improving in vitro fertilization outcomes in pigs.
• The enhanced penetration and nuclear maturation contribute to increased IVF efficiency.
• This finding supports the use of progestagens to optimize porcine embryo production.