Stage-dependent viability of vitrified rabbit embryos

Theriogenology. 1989 Jun;31(6):1227-31. doi: 10.1016/0093-691x(89)90092-7.

Abstract

The aim of the work was to determine the susceptibility of rabbit embryos to vitrification at different developmental stages. The experiment was carried out on 676 embryos at 1-, 2- and 8-to 16-cell stages as well as the morula and blastocyst stages. As a vitrification medium, a mixture of 30% 1,2-propanediol + 30% glycerol (Solution I), or 35% 1,2-propanediol + 35% glycerol (Solution II), was used. The embryos were frozen in glass ampules placed in nitrogen vapour for 5 min before being plunged into liquid nitrogen. Dilution after rapid thawing was done in one step in a 1-M sucrose solution. After vitrification in Solution I, none of the 1- or 2-cell embryos survived, whereas the survival rate of 8-to 16-cell embryos, morula and blastocysts, was 23.0, 82.7 and 78.5%, respectively. After vitrification in Solution II, the survival rate of 1-, 2- and 8-to 16-cell embryos was 20.0, 43.8 and 92.9%, respectively. The proportion of live offspring on the Day 28 after transfer of 68 vitrified morula was 26.5% compared with 24.0% in the control group. Thus, the proposed vitrification procedures can be useful in the cryopreservation of rabbit embryos.