Effect of Epididymal Spermatozoa of Local Iraqi Goat on in vitro Fertilization and Evolution of Embryos

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has been considered one of the greatest improvements in livestock science and production. Epididymal spermatozoon is a valuable gamete source obtained from slaughtered animals, and it has great importance in livestock IVF. This study aimed to create caprine embryos in Baghdad using local Iraqi goats. Ovaries were obtained from 50 female local goats at the Al-shu'alah abattoir. The ovaries were transported to the laboratory in physiological saline solution at 38°C. After oocyte recovery from the mature antral follicle, the oocytes with grades A or B were used for in vitro maturation (IVM). Moreover, 10 testicles were obtained from slaughtered adult goats, and the sperm was recovered from the caudal epididymis. All the stage-specific culture mediums were incubated at 39°C with 5% CO2 and 90% relative humidity. In this study, embryonic development on a 24-h basis was evaluated and in vitro culture media was replaced 50% of the volume every day for nine days with fresh media until an enlarged or hatched blastocyst appeared. The recorded data showed that the mean size of the large follicles was 6.23±1.34 mm, while the small follicles were in the mean size of 3.10±0.62. On the other hand, the results showed a significant increase in the oocyte recovery rate from the large size follicle (81.22%), compared to the small size follicle (62.67%). The recorded data showed that the total number of retrieved oocytes with grades A and B was 290 (79.5%) (Table 1). The recorded data showed that 50.1% of these oocyte cohorts had reached metaphase II (145/290). Furthermore, 45.45% of the recovered oocytes by aspiration from large follicles were developed to the blastocyst stage, compared to 25% of recovered oocytes from the small follicles reaching the same developmental stage (blastocyst). On the other hand, the recorded data showed that the oocyte recovery method had a great influence on the oocyte competence regardless of the follicle size. The results revealed that the number of recovered oocytes by aspiration was greater than slicing. In conclusion, the results approved that the slicing method could be considered a safe and more efficient method in oocyte recovery from the slaughtered animals, compared to the aspiration method. On the other hand, according to the findings, the epididymal spermatozoa from local Iraqi goats are a reliable source of oocytes for IVF and in vitro conversion.