Ee. Van De Leemput et al., Effects of brief postponement of the preovulatory LH surge on ovulation rates and embryo formation in eCG/prostaglandin-treated heifers, THERIOGENOL, 55(2), 2001, pp. 573-592
The aim of this study was to investigate whether prolongation of the period
of preovulatory follicular development after superovulation reduces hetero
geneity of oocytes of stimulated follicles with respect to the potential to
mature, to ovulate, to be fertilized and to develop into embryos. Heifers
were treated with eCG on Day 10 and prostaglandin (PG) 48 h later. At the t
ime of eCG administration some of the heifers received a norgestomet implan
t (N) to suppress the LH surge. After 96 to 104 h, N was removed and an LH
surge was induced with GnRH (G) (N/G); the other animals served as controls
. Matured oocytes (Experiment A: n=9, 139 [N/G] and 11, 125 [Control] heife
rs, oocytes), zygotes and oviducts (Experiment B: n=8, 44 [N/G] and 9, 72 [
Control] heifers, zygotes) and embryos (Experiment C: n=11, 205 [N/G] and 1
1, 165 [Control] heifers, embryos) were collected at 22 to 26 h, 38 to 52 h
and 7 days after the LH surge, respectively. Hatched blastocyst formation
of matured oocytes (Experiment A) was analyzed after 11 days of IVC after I
VF. In vivo fertilization rate of zygotes, the presence of periodic acid-Sc
hiff (PAS) positive granules in the oviduct (Experiment B) and stage of dev
elopment of embryos (Experiment C) were analyzed stereomicroscopically. The
mean interval between PG and the LH surge was 53.8+/-3 (SD) (N/G) vs. 42.4
+/-4 h (Control). The maximum peripheral estradiol-17 beta concentration (5
29+/-36 [SEM] [N/G] vs. 403+/-17 pmol/L, [Control]) and the response to sup
erovulation (25.4+/-2 [N/G] vs. 18.7+/-2 [Control]) were higher in N/G than
in Control heifers. Hatched blastocyst formation rate (37.4 [N/G] vs. 33.6
% [Control]), in vivo fertilization rate (69.0+/-14 [N/G] vs. 73.0+/-10% [C
ontrol]) and the yield of total embryos (3.8+/-1 [N/G] vs. 5.6+/-2 [Control
]) did not differ between groups. The percentage of heifers with abundant P
AS-positive granules in the distal ampulla (0 [N/G] vs. 31% [Control]) was
reduced after N/G treatment. Prolongation of the period of preovulatory fol
licular development increased the number of mature follicles and ovulations
but did not result in higher embryo yield, possibly because of an impaired
oviductal environment. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc.