Comparison of the efficacy of two culture media, handmade (SOF) and commercial (G1/G2), on in vitro development of vitrified and non-vitrified mouse embryos

There is some evidence that shows some manipulations during assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro culture and vitrification can affect fetal development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of culture medium (handmade culture medium: SOF vs. commercial culture medium: G1/G2) and vitrification (vitrified vs. non-vitrified) on survival rate, blastocyst formation and hatching rate. For this purpose, 2-cell embryos were recovered from naturally synchronized NMRI females and divided in two groups (vitrification and control groups). Embryos from each group cultured in SOF or G1/G2 culture medium. Results showed that survival rate was not significantly different between groups. The potential of embryos in vitrified-SOF group to develop towards blastocyst stage and also hatching rate were significantly lower than non-vitrified-G1/G2 group (P 0.05). These results suggest that, the potential of embryos to develop towards blastocyst stage and hatching rate might be affected by the vitrification procedure and culture medium.