Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 29, 2025
Vitrification of In Vitro Matured Oocytes Collected from Adult and Prepubertal Ovaries in Sheep
Published on: July 10, 2021
Transport processes in equine oocytes and ovarian tissue during loading with cryoprotective solutions
Jürgen Lotz1, Sercan Içli2, Dejia Liu2
1Unit for Reproductive Medicine - Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Background:
Rational design of cryopreservation strategies for oocytes and ovarian cortex tissue requires insights in the rate at which cryoprotective agents (CPA) permeate and concomitant water transport takes place. The aim of the current study was to investigate possible differences in permeation kinetics of different CPAs (i.e., glycerol/GLY, ethylene glycol/EG, dimethyl sulfoxide/DMSO, and propylene glycol/PG), in equine oocytes as well as ovarian tissue.
Methods:
Membrane permeability of oocytes to water (Lp) and to CPAs (Ps) was inferred from video microscopic imaging of oocyte volume responses during perfusion with anisotonic and CPA solutions. CPA diffusion into ovarian tissue and tissue dehydration was monitored during incubation, using osmometer and weight measurements, to derive CPA diffusion coefficients (D).
Results:
Membrane permeability of oocytes towards CPAs was found to increase in the order GLY < EG < DMSO
Conclusions:
In conclusion, it is shown here that the rate of CPA movement across membrane bilayers is determined by different physical barrier factors than those determining CPA movement in tissues.
General Significance:
The parameters presented in this study can be applied in models describing solute and water transport in cells and tissues, as well as in cryopreservation protocols.
