Co-culture: the future for embryo development in vitro

Important interactions occur between the somatic cells of the oviduct and the developing embryo, during the later stages of pre-attachment development. In these stages secretions from the oviduct are very important in conferring viability on the embryos, especially plasmatic proteins and proteins secreted by the oviduct cells. The oviduct secretions obtained at various stages of the oestrus cycle have now been tested for potential growth factors. If an active fraction of the oviduct secretion is identified, the potential embryotrophic factor(s) will be characterized and produced on a large scale so that culture medium can be supplemented.