Effect of oocyte diameter on in vitro embryo production in dogs [Köpeklerde oosit çapi{dotless}ni{dotless}n in vitro embriyo üretimi üzerine etkisi]

In vitro embryo production has not been confidently applied to the dog successfully. up to date,only one blactocyst have been achieved by in vitro culture. therefore,the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of different oocyte diameters (≤100 μm and >100 μm) on in vitro maturation (ivm),in vitro fertilization (ivf) and in vitro culture (ivc) of immature dog oocytes. the study was performed in two steps. at the first step (experiment i),effects of two different oocyte diameters on ivm of dog oocytes were investigated. the nuclear maturation rates were evaluated by aceto-orcein staining method at the end of the ivm. at the second step (experiment ii),in vitro matured oocytes were fertilized with fresh spermatozoa for 24 h and in vitro cultured for 7 d. at the end of the ivc period,embryonic development was assessed by microscopic observation at 24 h intervals and fixed for staining by aceto-orcein staining method after 7 days. in comparison relating in ivm and ivf rates,larger oocytes have higher maturation (p<0.05) and cleavage (p<0.01) rates than the smaller ones. unfortunately,none of the oocyte was reached to morula or blactocyst stage in both groups. in conclusion,it is demonstrated that the oocyte diameter may be a helpful selection criteria for dog in vitro embryo production.