Abstract
The effects of ethylene glycol as a cryoprotective agent on the survival of frozen-thawed mouse embryos were examined. The effects of the stage of development of ethylene glycol were also examined. Eight-cell embryos, morulae, early blastocysts and mid-blastocysts were recovered from superovulated immature ddY mice. Ethylene glycol was added to the embryos in 5 equal increments 5 minutes apart, giving a final concentration of 1.5M. The embryos were cooled to ${-6^{\circ}C}$ at ${1^{\circ}C/min}$ and seeding was induced at ${-6^{\circ}C}$. After being held for a further 5minutes at the seeding temperature, the samples were cooled to ${-35^{\circ}C}$ at ${0.3^{\circ}C/min}$ and then transferred to liquid nitrogen. Rapid thawing was done by placing the straws in ${37^{\circ}C}$ water. The thawed embryos were diluted in PBS of same time and manners as adding procedures. Survival of 8-cell embryos and morulae were assessed as a normal development of the embryos to the blastocyst stage and expanding blastocyst after 54 hours and 48 hours of in vitro culture, respectively. While those of the early and mid-blastocysts were assessed to the expanding blastocyst stage after 24 hours of in vitro culture. The survival rates of 8-cell embryos, morulae, early blastocysts and mid-blastocysts were 73.8%, 74.3%, 87.8% and 77.4%, respectively. Significant difference on the survival rate among the four stages of development was not observed.