Laparoscopic Embryo Transfer in Swine: An Effective Alternative to Traditional Open Surgery

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Embryo transfer (ET) is crucial for biomedical research, especially for creating gene-edited pigs.
• Traditional swine ET via laparotomy is invasive, time-consuming, and carries risks like infection and herniation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a minimally invasive laparoscopic embryo transfer (LapET) technique for swine.
• To assess the efficacy of LapET as an alternative to open surgery for embryo deposition into the oviduct.

Main Methods:

• A laparoscopic procedure using a sheep insemination device (Aspic) was developed for oviductal ET in gilts.
• Gilts underwent synchronized estrus protocols followed by LapET on Day 21, receiving an average of 160 embryos post-somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
• The procedure involved general anesthesia, trocar insertion for instrumentation, oviduct visualization, and embryo deposition.

Main Results:

• Pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasonography in 12 out of 17 gilts (70.6%) following LapET.
• The success rate of LapET was comparable to previous laparotomy-based ET procedures (71.4%).
• LapET proved to be a fast, minimally invasive, and effective method for swine embryo transfer.

Conclusions:

• Laparoscopic embryo transfer (LapET) is a viable, effective, and less invasive alternative to open surgery for swine reproduction.
• This technique facilitates efficient embryo transfer in pigs, supporting advancements in gene editing and reproductive technologies.
• LapET offers significant advantages in terms of reduced invasiveness and procedure time compared to traditional laparotomy.