Bovine serum albumin improves in vitro development of caprine preantral follicles

ABSTRACT

This work investigated the effects of different protein supplements (fetal calf serum (FCS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) on the in vitro development of caprine preantral follicles. Preantral follicles (> 150 um) were isolated from ovarian cortex fragments and individually cultivated in a-MFM medium in an incubator at 37ºC for 24 days with 5% atmospheric Co2, and supplemented with either BSA at 1,25 or 3,0 mg/ml or FCS at 5 10%. An evaluation of follicular development was conducted based on survival rate, antrum formation, increase in follicular diameter, oocyte viability and obtainment of fully-grown oocytes. It was observed that from the 12th cultivation day, the oercentage of surviving follicles under treatment with BSA at 3.0 mg/ml was greater than that of the other treatments (p< 0,05) when compared to those treated with BSAA on the last day of cultivation the mean diameter and antrum formation of follicles treated with BSA at 3,0 mg/ml were greater than those of follicles under other treatments (P < 0,05). With oocyte growth, the percentage of oocytes cultivated with BSA (3,0 mg/ml) thatwere destined for in vitro maturation (IVM >110 diameter( was higher than that of other treatments. Moreover, under thistreatment, 86% of oocytes presented a germinal vesicle and 14% restarted meiosis, out of wich 3% were mature (metaphase II). In conclusion supplementing cultuvation medium with BSA at 3,0 mg/ml not only improves follicular development but also provides meiotically-competent oocytes after in vitro cultivation of caprine preantral isolated follicles.(AU)