Autogenous transfer of intracytoplasmic sperm injection-produced equine embryos into the uterus of the oocyte donor during the same oestrous cycle
J. B. Rossini A , J. Rodriguez A B , D. R. Bresnahan A C , J. E. Stokes A and E. M. Carnevale
A D
A Equine Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 3101 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
B Present address: Vista Equine Colorado, 5412 E County Road 32E, Fort Collins, CO 80528, USA.
C Present address: Department of Animal Science, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA 30149-5003, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: elaine.carnevale@colostate.edu
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 31(12) 1912-1916 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD19253
Submitted: 30 June 2019 Accepted: 4 September 2019 Published: 4 October 2019
Abstract
The clinical use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in horses usually involves the transfer of embryos into recipient mares, resulting in substantial cost increases. This is essential when subfertile mares are oocyte donors; but some donors are fertile, with ICSI compensating for limited or poor-quality spermatozoa. Fertile oocyte donors could carry pregnancies, eliminating the need for a recipient. We assessed the potential of using oocyte donors as recipients for their own ICSI-produced embryos during the same cycle. Donors in oestrus and with large dominant follicles were administered ovulation-inducing compounds to cause follicle and oocyte maturation. Maturing oocytes were collected, cultured and fertilised using ICSI. At 6 or 7 days after ICSI, developing blastocysts were transferred into respective donors’ uteri, and pregnancy rates were determined. Twenty follicles were aspirated from nine mares and 12 oocytes were collected. After ICSI, 10 of the 12 oocytes (83%) cleaved, and eight (67% of injected oocytes) developed into blastocysts for transfer. Five pregnancies resulted from the eight transferred embryos (pregnancy rate 62% per embryo and 42% per sperm-injected oocyte). Following this synchronisation regime, ICSI-produced embryos can be transferred into oocyte donors’ uteri during the same cycle, allowing donors to carry pregnancies after assisted fertilisation.
Additional keywords: embryo transfer, mare, recipient.
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