Premium
In vitro production of porcine embryos: current status, future perspectives and alternative applications
Author(s) -
DANGNGUYEN Thanh Quang,
SOMFAI Tamas,
HARAGUCHI Seiki,
KIKUCHI Kazuhiro,
TAJIMA Atsushi,
KANAI Yukio,
NAGAI Takashi
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
animal science journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.606
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1740-0929
pISSN - 1344-3941
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2011.00883.x
Subject(s) - polyspermy , embryo , biology , in vitro , microbiology and biotechnology , andrology , in vitro fertilisation , genetics , medicine
The pig is considered to be a suitable source of cells and organs for xenotransplants, as well as a transgenic animal to produce specific proteins, given the biological similarities it shares with human beings. However, the in vitro embryo production system in pigs is inefficient compared with those in other mammals, such as cattle or mice. Although numerous modifications have been applied to improve the efficiency of in vitro embryo production systems in pigs, not much progress has been made to overcome the problem of polyspermy, and low developmental ability due to insufficient cytoplasmic abilities of in vitro matured oocytes and improper culture conditions for the in vitro produced embryos. Recent achievements, such as the establishment of chemically defined medium and utilization of ‘zona hardening’ technique, have gained some success. However, further research for the reduction of polyspermy and detrimental effects of the culture systems in pigs is still needed.