EFFECT OF PLATELET-ACTIVATING-FACTOR (PAP) ON PREIMPLANTATION MOUSE B6D2F1 J EMBRYO FORMATION/

Platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocho line; PAF) is a potent signaling phospholipid that has been implicated in a variety of reproductive processes. Human, rabbit, and mouse prei mplantation embryos produce and secrete PAE Anti-PAF antibodies interf ere with mouse preimplantation development. A controversy exists on wh ether exogenous PAF is beneficial to preimplantation embryo developmen t. The study objective was to determine the effect of exogenous PAF on embryo formation. One-cell mouse B6D2F1/J embryos were collected from PMSG/hCG primed females mated with fertile males. Embryos were expose d to PAF (0-10 mu M) in MEM (0.3% BSA) for 15 min, then cultured in ME M (0.3% BSA) in a 5% CO2 in air, 95% relative humidity at 37 degrees C atmosphere, for 120 hr to the hatched blastocyst stage. PAF (0.1 or 0 .01 mu M) significantly (P < 0.05) improved preimplantation embryo dev elopment and formation in vitro. PAF at higher doses had no significan t effect. Supplementation of culture medium with exogenous PAF was ben eficial to preimplantation embryo development in B6D2F1/J mice.