PROSTAGLANDIN MEASUREMENT IN MOUSE EMBRYOS OBTAINED FROM IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO DEVELOPMENT

In order to determine whether prostaglandins (PGs) produced by in vitr o-derived embryos are altered, we collected embryos at different devel opmental stages (two-cells and blastocyst) from pregnant female mice a nd incubated them for 1 h in medium. The release of prostaglandin E (P GE) and prostaglandin F-2 alpha (PGF(2 alpha)) into the medium were co mpared to PGs produced from embryos obtained by in vitro, fertilisatio n (IVF) and incubated in vitro. Our results show that the two-cells em bryos and the blastocysts obtained by the in vitro system produce less PGE and PGF(2 alpha) than in vivo-derived embryos.