Stem Cell-Derived Bioactive Materials Accelerate Development of Porcine In Vitro-Fertilized Embryos.

Stem cells show the capability to proliferate in an undifferentiated state with long-term self-renewal, which gives the cells advantages for use as bioactive material (BM) for embryo culture in vitro. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of two BMs-human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell BM (hAT-MSC-BM) and human embryonic stem cell-derived BM (hESC-BM)-on porcine embryo development compared to commonly used bovine serum albumin (BSA) or serum treatment groups. In vitro-fertilized (IVF) embryos were cultured in PZM-5 with 4 mg/mL BSA until day 4 and equally divided into four groups.

Rapamycin rescues the poor developmental capacity of aged porcine oocytes.

Unfertilized oocytes age inevitably after ovulation, which limits their fertilizable life span and embryonic development. Rapamycin affects mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression and cytoskeleton reorganization during oocyte meiotic maturation. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of rapamycin treatment on aged porcine oocytes and their in vitro development.

Effect of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal-stem-cell bioactive materials on porcine embryo development.

Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAT-MSCs) secrete bioactive materials that are beneficial for tissue repair and regeneration. In this study, we characterized human hAT-MSC bioactive material (hAT-MSC-BM), and examined the effect of hAT-MSC-BM on porcine embryo development. hAT-MSC-BM was enriched with several growth factors and cytokines, including fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), and interleukin 6 (IL6).

Post-death cloning of endangered Jeju black cattle (Korean native cattle): fertility and serum chemistry in a cloned bull and cow and their offspring.

To preserve Jeju black cattle (JBC; endangered native Korean cattle), a pair of cattle, namely a post-death cloned JBC bull and cow, were produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in a previous study. In the present study, we examined the in vitro fertilization and reproductive potentials of these post-death cloned animals. Sperm motility, in vitro fertilization and developmental capacity were examined in a post-death cloned bull (Heuk Oll Dolee) and an extinct nuclear donor bull (BK94-13).