The effect of cryoprotectant components on the pregnancy rate of the vitrified-thawed Formosan sambar deer embryos

Hsin-Hung Lin, Chih-Hua Wang, Shann-Ren Kang, Chin-Hui Tseng, Mu-Jung Cheng, Wen-Lin Song, Ting-Chieh Kang, Shyh-Shyan Liu, and Perng-Chih Shen

　　The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cryoprotectant components on the pregnancy rate of the vitrified-thawed Formosan Sambar deer blastocysts. The does were implanted with CIDR for 12 days and superovulated by intramuscular injection with eCG at day 10. The 4- to 8-cell stage embryos were collected by flushing the oviduct through midventral laparotomy at day 4 after mating. After collection, these embryos were subsequently cultured in the synthetic oviduct fluid solution (SOF) medium. Results showed that the blastocyst rate of cultured embryos was 29.6%. Thereafter, the blastocysts were vitrified with freeze medium containing 16.5% EG plus 16.5% DMSO (A) and 6.8 M EG (B), respectively. The pregnancy rate of vitrified blastocysts in the group A was higher than that in the group B (100.0 vs. 33.3%) after embryo transferred. In conclusion, the deer blastocysts vitrified with the freeze medium containing 16.5% EG plus 16.5% DMSO had higher pregnancy rate.