본 실험은 초자화 동결된 생쥐 배반포기배의 융해 후 배양조건 및 이식방법이 난자의 생존에 미치는 효과를 조사하고자 실시하였다. 체외수정후, M16배양액에서 4일동안 배양하여 얻어진 생쥐 배반포기배는 EFS40 (40% ethylene glycol, 18% Ficoll, 0.5 M sucrose가 함유된 PBS)으로 초자화동결하였다. 실험 I에서는 융해 후 배양조건에 따른 난자들의 체외/체내 생존율을 조사하였다. 융해된 난자가 M16과 4 mg/ml 소혈청알부민과 20 가지 아미노산이 함유된 m-CR1 (2% BME 아미노산 용액, 1% MEM 아미노산 용액) 및 단층배양이 유도된 난구세포 (10% FBS가 함유된 m-CR1배양액)에서 각각 배양되었을 때, 융해 후 24시간째 체외 생존율은 배양조건에 따라 차이가 없었다(75.6, 83.1, 82.4%). 그러나 체내 발달율에 있어서 임신 15일째 생존 산자율은 39.0, 49.0, 38.1%로서 유사한 성적을 나타냈으나, 전체 착상율에 있어서는 m-CR1 (80.4%)에 배양되었을 때, M16 (51.2%), 난구세포와 공배양시 (57.1%)보다 유의하게 높은 생존율을 보였다(p<0.05). 실험 II에서는 수정란 이식 방법에 따른 체내 발달율을 조사하였다. 배반포기배를 융해 후 체외배양없이 곧바로 가임신 2, 3일째 대리모에 이식을 실시하였을 때, 가임신 2일째 대리모에서는 임신징후를 얻지 못하였고, 가임신 3일째 대리모에서는 50.0%의 착상율과 15.4%의 정상산자율을 얻었다. 그러나, 이러한 결과는 융해 후, 16시간 배양하여 가임신 3일째 대리모에 이식 (73.5, 57.1%)하는 경우보다 유의하게 낮은 결과였다(p<0.05). 실험 III에서는 초자화 동결된 배반포기배의 융해 후 배양시 발달이 늦어진 수정란의 이용효율을 극대화시키기 위해 융해한 4일째 초기, 5일째 초기, 5일째 팽창 배반포기배의 체외/체내 생존율을 조사하였다. 가장 높은 체외 생존율은 5일째 팽창 배반포기배 (78.3%)에서 얻었으나, 체내 발달율 (산자율, 착상율)에 있어서는 4일째 초기 배반포기배 (33.3, 66.7%)의 경우가, 5일째 팽창 배반포기배(29.0, 38.7%)의 경우보다 높았다(p<0.05). 따라서 본 연구의 결과는 배양조건과 수정란 이식방법에 따라 초자화 동결된 배아의 체외/체내 발달율을 높일 수 있으며, 발달이 늦은 배반포기배의 체내 발달율은 체외 배양시간이 길어질수록 낮아짐으로, 5일째 팽창 배반포기배보다 4일째 초기 배반포기배를 동결하는 것이 더 유용하다는 것을 알 수 있었다.
This study was to test whether in vitro/in vivo survival of vitrified mouse blastocysts was influenced by culture conditions and ET method. Mouse blastocysts were obtained from in vitro fertilization and cultured for 4 days in M16 medium, and they were vitrified in EFS40 which contained 40% ethlyene glycol, 18% Ficoll and 0.5 mol sucrose in PBS. In experiment I, in vitro and in vivo survival rate of these embryos were evaluated in different culture condition after thawing. When thawed embryos were cultured in M16 medium as a control, m-CR1 medium contained 20 amino acids (2% BME amino acis and 1% MEM non-essential amino acids solution) and 4 mg/ml BSA and cumulus monolayer cell co-cultured condition in mCR1 medium (10% FBS), their in vitro survival at 24 hr after thawing was not affected by culture condition (75.6, 83.1, 82.4%). However, in vivo survival rates of implantation in m-CR1 medium (80.4%) were significantly higher than those of M16 medium (51.2%), co-culture (57.1%) condition, although there was no difference in live fetuses rates on day 15 gestation (39.0, 49.0, 38.1%). In experiment II, the in vivo development potential of embryos by ET methods was examined. When blastocysts were transferred to the day 2, 3 pseudopregnant recipient without culture soon after thawing, no pregnant recipient was obtained on the day 2 pseudopregnancy, and 50% of pregnancy rates and 15.4% of live fetus rates were obtained on the day 3 pseudopregnant recipients. These results were significantly lower than those of transferred group (day 3 pseudopregnant recipients) after culture for 16 hr post thawing (73.5, 57.1%) (p<0.05). In experiment III, to elevate usability of delayed embryos in vitro/in vivo survival of vitrified embryos (day 4 early, day 5 early and expanding blastocyst) were examined. in vivo survival rates (live fetus, total implantation) were higher in day 4 early blastocysts (33.3, 66.7%) than in day 5 expanding blastocysts (29.0, 38.7%), although the highest in vitro survival rates were obtained in the day 5 expanding brastocysts (78.3%). Therefore, these results suggest that the in vitro/in vivo survival rates of vitrified embryos could be improve by the culture condition and ET method and that the in vivo development rates of delayed embryos were decreased with longer culture duration in vitro. It means that more effective cryopreservation was obtained in day 4 early blastocysts than in day 5 expanding blastocysts.
