[Cytospectrophotometric study of the concentration of RNA and SH-groups in swine embryos]

Cytospectrophotometry was used to study the contents of RNA and SH-groups in zygotes as well as in 8- and 12-day embryos embryos of the pig large white breed. Significant correlation is found between the content of RNA in the embryos and their survival level in sows. A high degree of variability within one generation is established for the indexes under study. The data obbtained give reasons for a conclusion on the important role of RNA and SH-groups, as their content determines to a considerable extent the biological quality of the embryos and thus their survival rate too.