Future of reproductive biotechnologies in water buffalo in Southeast Asian countries.

The future of reproductive biotechnologies in water buffalo in Southeast Asian countries holds significant promise for enhancing genetic quality and productivity. Fixed-time artificial insemination remains the commonly used technology, with advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro embryo production (IVEP), embryo transfer (ET), and the use of sex-sorted sperm increasingly adopted to improve breeding efficiency. These technologies overcome traditional breeding limitations, such as low reproductive rates, genetic diversity constraints, and the production of sex-predetermined offspring.

Oviduct epithelial spheroids during in vitro culture of bovine embryos mitigate oxidative stress, improve blastocyst quality and change the embryonic transcriptome.

Background: In vitro embryo production is increasingly used for genetic improvement in cattle but bypasses the oviduct environment and exposes the embryos to oxidative stress with deleterious effects on further development. Here we aimed to examine the effect of oviduct epithelial spheroids (OES) on embryo development and quality in terms of morphology and gene expression during two co-culture times (4 days: up to embryonic genome activation at 8-16 cell stage vs. 7 days: up to blastocyst stage) and under two oxygen levels (5% vs.

Induction of Human Wharton's Jelly of Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Be Chondrocytes and Transplantation in Guinea Pig Model with Spontaneous Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease commonly found in elderly people and obese patients. Currently, OA treatments are determined based on their condition severity and a medical professional's advice. The aim of this study was to differentiate human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) into chondrocytes for transplantation in OA-suffering guinea pigs.

An expedition in the jungle of pluripotent stem cells of non-human primates.

For nearly three decades, more than 80 embryonic stem cell lines and more than 100 induced pluripotent stem cell lines have been derived from New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, and great apes. In this comprehensive review, we examine these cell lines originating from marmoset, cynomolgus macaque, rhesus macaque, pig-tailed macaque, Japanese macaque, African green monkey, baboon, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan. We outline the methodologies implemented for their establishment, the culture protocols for their long-term maintenance, and their basic molecular characterization.

The Efficiency of Neurospheres Derived from Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Spinal Cord Injury Regeneration in Rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes inflammation and neuronal degeneration, resulting in functional movement loss. Since the availability of SCI treatments is still limited, stem cell therapy is an alternative clinical treatment for SCI and neurodegenerative disorders. Human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) are an excellent option for cell therapy.

Current status of assisted reproductive technologies in buffaloes.

Buffaloes are raised by small farm holders primarily as source of draft power owing to its resistance to hot climate, disease, and stress conditions. Over the years, transformation of these animals from draft to dairy was deliberately carried out through genetic improvement program leading to the development of buffalo-based enterprises. Buffalo production is now getting more attention and interest from buffalo raisers due to its socioeconomic impact as well as its contribution to propelling the livestock industry in many developing countries.

The relationship between reactive oxygen species, DNA fragmentation, and sperm parameters in human sperm using simplified sucrose vitrification with or without triple antioxidant supplementation.

Objective: This study examined whether the addition of triple antioxidants (3A)-10 μM acetyl-L-carnitine, 10 μM N-acetyl-L-cysteine, and 5 μM α-lipoic acid-in freezing-thawing medium during human sperm cryopreservation using the sucrose vitrification (SuV) and liquid nitrogen vapor (Vapor) techniques could improve post-thaw survival of spermatozoa.

Methods: We analyzed 30 samples from healthy human sperm donors. Each sample was allocated into one of five groups: fresh control, SuV, SuV+3A, Vapor, and Vapor+3A.

Signaling Pathways Impact on Induction of Corneal Epithelial-like Cells Derived from Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Corneal epithelium, the outmost layer of the cornea, comprises corneal epithelial cells (CECs) that are continuously renewed by limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs). Loss or dysfunction of LESCs causes limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) which results in corneal epithelial integrity loss and visual impairment. To regenerate the ocular surface, transplantation of stem cell-derived CECs is necessary.

Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer.

Mammalian oocytes can reprogram differentiated somatic cells into a totipotent state through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which is known as cloning. Although many mammalian species have been successfully cloned, the majority of cloned embryos failed to develop to term, resulting in the overall cloning efficiency being still low. There are many factors contributing to the cloning success.

Blastocyst development after fertilization with in vitro spermatids derived from nonhuman primate embryonic stem cells.

Objective: To demonstrate that functional spermatids can be derived in vitro from nonhuman primate pluripotent stem cells.

Design: Green fluorescent protein-labeled, rhesus macaque nonhuman primate embryonic stem cells (nhpESCs) were differentiated into advanced male germ cell lineages using a modified serum-free spermatogonial stem cell culture medium. In vitro-derived round spermatid-like cells (rSLCs) from differentiated nhpESCs were assessed for their ability to fertilize rhesus oocytes by intracytoplasmic sperm(atid) injection.

Effect of vitrification at different meiotic stages on epigenetic characteristics of bovine oocytes and subsequently developing embryos.

Vitrification by the Cryotop method is frequently used for bovine oocyte cryopreservation. Nevertheless, vitrified oocytes still have reduced developmental competency compared with fresh counterparts. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of vitrification either at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage or at the metaphase II (MII) stage on epigenetic characteristics of bovine oocytes and subsequently developing embryos.

Vitrification of mouse two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos in simplified closed system using either a hemi-straw or a hollow fiber device.

Two-cell stage and blastocyst stage mouse embryos were equilibrated in a medium containing 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 8-15 min.

CAG repeat instability in embryonic stem cells and derivative spermatogenic cells of transgenic Huntington's disease monkey.

Purpose: The expansion of CAG (glutamine; Q) trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) predominantly occurs through male lineage in Huntington's disease (HD). As a result, offspring will have larger CAG repeats compared to their fathers, which causes an earlier onset of the disease called genetic anticipation. This study aims to develop a novel in vitro model to replicate CAG repeat instability in early spermatogenesis and demonstrate the biological process of genetic anticipation by using the HD stem cell model for the first time.

Differentiation Induction of Human Stem Cells for Corneal Epithelial Regeneration.

Deficiency of corneal epithelium causes vision impairment or blindness in severe cases. Transplantation of corneal epithelial cells is an effective treatment but the availability of the tissue source for those cells is inadequate. Stem cells can be induced to differentiate to corneal epithelial cells and used in the treatment.

A Xeno-Free Strategy for Derivation of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells and Wharton's Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A Feasibility Study toward Personal Cell and Vascular Based Therapy.

Coimplantation of endothelial cells (ECs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) into the transplantation site could be a feasible option to achieve a sufficient level of graft-host vascularization. To find a suitable source of tissue that provides a large number of high-quality ECs and MSCs suited for future clinical application, we developed a simplified xeno-free strategy for isolation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSCs) from the same umbilical cord. We also assessed whether the coculture of HUVECs and WJ-MSCs derived from the same umbilical cord (autogenic cell source) or from different umbilical cords (allogenic cell sources) had an impact on angiogenic capacity.

The effects of vitrification after equilibration in different concentrations of cryoprotectants on the survival and quality of bovine blastocysts.

This study assessed the effects of cryoprotectant concentration during equilibration on the efficiency of bovine blastocyst vitrification and the expression of selected developmentally important genes. In vitro produced bovine blastocysts were equilibrated in either 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) + 7.

Enhanced Hepatogenic Differentiation of Human Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Using Three-Step Protocol.

Currently, human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) are an attractive source of stem cells for cell-based therapy, owing to their ability to undergo self-renewal and differentiate into all mesodermal, some neuroectodermal, and endodermal progenies, including hepatocytes. Herein, this study aimed to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (NaBu), an epigenetic regulator that directly inhibits histone deacetylase, on hepatic endodermal lineage differentiation of hWJ-MSCs. NaBu, at 1 mM, optimally promoted endodermal differentiation of hWJ-MSCs, along with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) supplementation (EGF + bFGF + 1 mM NaBu).

Effect of vitrification procedures on the subsequent development of in vitro matured swamp buffalo oocytes following in vitro fertilization.

Nowadays, the efficiency of buffalo oocytes cryopreservation is still low. The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of two combinations of cryoprotectant agents (CPAs) and two vitrification devices for vitrification of swamp buffalo oocytes on their survival after vitrification warming, and subsequent developmental ability after in vitro fertilization. In vitro matured (IVM) oocytes were vitrified by either Cryotop (CT) or solid surface vitrification (SSV) interacting with vitrification solution A (VA) or B (VB).

New Insights on Water Buffalo Genomic Diversity and Post-Domestication Migration Routes From Medium Density SNP Chip Data.

The domestic water buffalo is native to the Asian continent but through historical migrations and recent importations, nowadays has a worldwide distribution. The two types of water buffalo, i.e.

Reversal of Experimental Liver Damage after Transplantation of Stem-Derived Cells Detected by FTIR Spectroscopy.

The transplantation of autologous BM-MSCs holds great potential for treating end-stage liver diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of transplanted rBM-MSCs and rBM-MSC-derived differentiated stem cells (rBM-MSC-DSCs) for suppression of dimethylnitrosamine-injured liver damage in rat model. Synchrotron radiation Fourier-transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microspectroscopy was applied to investigate changes in the macromolecular composition.

Effect of storage tube material and resveratrol during liquid storage of matured bovine oocytes on subsequent development.

This study determined the optimum storage vessel and the effects of resveratrol for the storage of in vitro matured (IVM) bovine oocytes. After IVM, the oocytes were kept in a Hepes-buffered medium at 25 °C for 20 h in different containers including Eppendorf tubes (ET) made of polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), and tissue culture tubes (TCT) made of PP, PS, and glass. Then oocytes were subjected to IVF and subsequent in vitro embryo development was compared among the groups and to that of a control group without storage.

Vitrification of bovine matured oocytes and blastocysts in a paper container.

In the present study, we aimed to determine the applicability of a paper container for the vitrification of in vitro matured (IVM) bovine oocytes. In experiment 1, IVM oocytes were exposed to vitrification solution (20% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), 20% ethylene glycol (EG), and 5 mol/L sucrose), using a two-step method, for 30 s; loaded onto either a paper container or Cryotop; and stored in liquid nitrogen. No significant difference (P < 0.

Survival and developmental competence of bovine embryos at different developmental stages and separated blastomeres after vitrification in different solutions.

Generating techniques to enhance the success of blastomere separation is important for bovine economy, because it increases the number of transferable embryos. This study aimed to identify the optimum cryoprotectants for the vitrification of bovine embryos and the separation of blastomeres at different stages. In experiment 1, expanded blastocysts were vitrified in two different vitrification solutions, either (1) ethylene glycol (EG) + propylene glycol (PG) or (2) EG.

Enhanced Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Umbilical Cord Wharton's Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells by GSK-3 Inhibitors.

Articular cartilage is an avascular, alymphatic, and aneural system with very low regeneration potential because of its limited capacity for self-repair. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the preferred choice for cell-based therapies. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) inhibitors are compounds that can induce the Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in chondrogenesis and cartilage development.