It is widely recognized that the embryonic or fetal loss after breeding is common in the cattle and that it is an important factor affecting reproductive efficiency. The causes of this loss have been subject of extensive researches and the results indicate that the embryonic mortality may he primary factor responsible for low pregnancy rates in non-embryo transfer bovine populations as well as embryo transfer programs. However, it's causes are still not clearly understood. The embryonic mortality or pregnancy rate has been influenced by various embryonic and maternal effects related to genetic and environmental factors. The timing and extent of embryonic mortality vanes greatly according to authors and estimating methods, because it is difficult to make direct measurements. The major important factors that may influence the embryonic losses or pregnancy rates after embryo transfer can be summeirized. 1.When an embryo is transferred to unmated recipients, the contralateral transfer to corpus luteum results in a lower survival rate than ipsilateral deposition. When the embryos are transferred for the production of twin calves, their survivals and twin pregnancies have quite inconsistent according to the transfer methods either to the unmated-synchronized or already mated recipients and more works are needed to accurrately clarify the previous results. 2.Although embryos can be cultured in vitro some hours without the great declines in pregnancy rates, the rates differ markedly among culture times and media but may be improved by co-transfer systems. 3.Embryo developmental stages and quality grades clearly affect the survival rate following freezing and the pregnancy rate after transfer and the selection of embryos without chromosome abnormalities and of high fertile semen may also be considered to increase the pregnancy rates. 4.Many researches have attempted to relate the plasma progesterone levels to pregnancy rates and others have done either direct progesterone supplementation or luteal stimulation by hCG treatment in order to increase the pregnancy rates. However, these effects on pregnancy rates are inconsistent and also contradictory. 5.The asynchrony between donors or embryos and recipients may he a major cause of embryo death and low pregnancy rate and the sensitivity to uterine asynchyony differs in according to the quality and stages of embryos. 6.The extremes of poor or over nutrition during early pregnancy in the recipients are detrimental to the survival of embryos and the good body condition is required to prevent a reduejion of pregnancy rates. The uterine pathogens in embryonic mortality or fertility have been questioned but the infection of C.pyogenes and Campylobacter fetus is still important pathogens. 7.The heat stress during early pregnancy may reduce conceptus weight and possibly increase the embryonic mortality.
Nuclear transplantation technique is known as the most potential and efficient method for producing a large number of genetically identical animals from a single embryo. The technical development of nuclear transplantation in mammals and its application to the production of cloned animals are described. For the efficient and successful production of cloned embryos by nuclear transplantation, the right selection and micromanipulation of recipient eggs or embryos as capacious recipient cytoplasm, the adequate and benefitlal preparation of multiple totipotent embryonic cells as donor nuclei, and also the fusion technique are very critical. Recent studies approaching to these critical points are introduced and discussed. Up to date, the overall efficiency of production of cloned embryos and offspring in livestock is estimated to be low. Further technical development of nuclear transplantation will enable large-scale production of cloned livestock and in near future the commercial cloning of animals will become a reality.
The method of vitnilcation has various merits. It needs neither seeding nor slow freezing. It can freeze embryo by putting it directly into liquid nitrogen at the indoor temperature to . The operation process is quite easy. Moreover, higher promise of survival can be expected as there is no physical damage by any lumps of ice with the exception of cells. In Kasal's experiment (1990) using EFS liquid and Kang's experiment (1991) using GFS liquid the ratio of the damaged embryo was only 2-3%. But, the method of vitrification is now on the process of improvement, and the final or united method is not yet established. At the present time, most of the major institutes all over the world are using the traditional freezing method in the preservation of mouse embryo, but it is very likely that the vitrification will prevaIl in the near future considering the various merits of it. Calves can be begotten from the embryo by means of vitriilcated preservation in the cases of cow, rat, and rabbit as well as of mouse. In addition, recent experiments have shown that vitrificated preservation was successful in the case of drosophila embryo which was much bigger than mammalian embryo, which fact tells that this method is expected to be preferably used even in the preservation of living organs in the near future.
A field trial was performed to evaluate the effects of hormone treatment on estrus induction, ovulation, embryo transfer and reproductive performance in post-weaning sows. This trial involved 61 mixed breed sows of varying parity on a commercial pig farm. Sows were allocated to one of five trials: control group involved 25 sows that were treated with a single intramuscular injection of 5 ml physiological saline, 6 sows received 1,500 IU PMSG on the day of weanning and 500 IU HCG at the onset of estrus in trial I, 7 sows received 750 IU PMSG on the day of weanning and 500 IU HCG at the onset of estrus in trial II, 5 sows were treated with the same as trial II on day 28 after weanning in trial III. and 18 sows were treated with 10 mg PGF plus 2 mg estradiol benzoate on day 31 after weanning in trial IV. Ovarian responses were checked by laparotomy and ova were recovered by oviducal flushing between 40 and l00hrs after mating. Fertilized ova were transferred into the oviduts of recipient sows synchroni- zed. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. Percentages of sows detected in standing estrus following treatment were 86~100% among trial groups. The interval from treatment to standing estrus(6l.70.5lhrs) in lOmg PGF and 2mg estradial henzoate treated group was significantly earlier than in other trial groups(P<0.05). 2. Average number of ovulations was 11.5~37.8 among trial groups. The ovulation rate in 1,500 IU PMSG and 500 IU RCG treated group (37.8 19.87) was significantly different from other trial groups(P<0.05). 3. Ova were recovered by oviducal flushing between 40~ l00hrs after mating and recovery rates of ova wore 91.4% between 40~59hrs. 4. Fertilized ova were transferred into the oviducts of 8 recipient sows synchronized with 7 to 17 ova per animal. Three of the recipients were pregnant and delivered 25 piglets. 5. Four of the donor sows in those embryo collection was not successful were pregnant following oviducal flushing and delivered 23 piglets. 6. Recurrence of estrus and farrowing performance of experimental sows were observed following the experiment was no difference among trial groups, respectively.
This study investigated full-term development potential of ultrarap idly frozen and thawed mouse 2-cell embryos. Mouse 2-cell embryos, dehydrated by exposure to freezing medium, were directly immersed into liquid nitrogen and thawed in 37 water. The embryos that were frozen and thawed were cultured in uitro and transferred to foster mothers to examine there developmental potential. As a result, the frozen-thawed 2-cell embryos developed to blastocysts in vitro as a similar rate as control 2-cell embryos did(in vitro 2-cell, 86.4%; in vivo 2-cell, 90.9%; solution control, 89.9%; control, 89.7%). Normal live young were obtained from transfer of frozen-thawed embryos to the oviduct and uterus of pseudopregnant recipients (3l.4~56.7%).