Oxygen consumption has been regarded as a useful indicator for assessment of mammalian embryo quality. This study was performed to investigate whether oxygen consumption reflects morphological grade of in vivo derived bovine blastocyst-stage embryos (blastocyst). The oxygen consumption of in vitro produced blastocyst was compared to its total cell number. In addition, pregnant rate was measured after transplantation of in vivo blastocysts with different oxygen consumption. The quality of blastocyst collected on day 7 after artificial insemination was categorized as grade I and II (G I and G II) based on microscopic observation of the morphology. Oxygen consumption of blastocyst was measured using a scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and total cell number of in vitro blastocyst was enumerated by counting cells stained by propidium iodide. Pregnancy of recipient cow was confirmed with rectal palpation after 60 days of embryo transfer. The oxygen consumptions of G I blastocysts were significantly higher than those of G II blastocysts ( versus , p<0.05). Total cell numbers of in vitro blastocysts were 74.8, 90.7, and 110.2 in the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0, and over respectively. Total cell number was significantly increased in embryos with high oxygen consumption (p<0.05). Pregnant rate in recipient cow was 0, 50, and 85.7% in the transplantation of embryo with the oxygen consumption of below 10.0, 10.0~12.0, and over , respectively. These results suggest that measurement of oxygen consumption may help increase the pregnant rate of bovine embryos.

In vivo embryo produced from Hanwoo donor cows were collected and transferred to Hanwoo recipients. Cows, at random stages of the estrous cycle, received Progesterone Releasing Intravaginal Device (CIDR-plus, InterAg, New Zealand) together with injection of 1 mg estradiol benzoate and 50 mg progesterone, and gonadotropin treatment began 4 day later. For superovulation, a total of 28 mg FSH was intramuscularly injected twice a day in the way of decreasing doses 4 day (5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2 and 2 mg). Twenty one Hanwoo donor cows were flushed on day 7 of estrus cycle with same FSH and artificial insemination by the same technicians. Embryos were recovered 7 days after the second insemination by flushing the uterus with Embryo Collection Medium. The results obtained were as follows: The rates of transferable embryos were 50.3%, and 78 fresh embryos at morulae and blastocysts stage were transferred into Hanwoo recipients on day 7 of estrus cycle. The pregnancy rates were first embryo transfer 55.6%, 2nd 62.9% and 3rd 57.9%, respectively. In conclusion, These results suggest that CIDR-based superovulation protocol may be effectively used for production of superior Hanwoo embryos. Also, since it seems the condition of recipient cows greatly affect pregnancy rate, it is very important to evaluate recipient for effective cattle production.

This study was to investigate the effect of flavonoid treatment on in vitro development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, and their pregnancy and delivery rate after embryo transfer into recipient. In experiment 1, to optimize the flavonoid concentration, parthenogenetic day 2 (≥ 2-cell) embryos were cultured in 0 (control), 1, 10 and 20 μM flavonoid for 6 days. In the results, in vitro development rate was the highest in 10 μM flavonoid group (57.1%) among treatment groups (control, 49.5%; 1 μM, 54.2%; 20 μM, 37.5%), and numbers of total and ICM cells were significantly (p<0.05) higher in 10 μM flavonoid group than other groups. We found that 10 μM flavonoid treatment can significantly (p<0.05) decrease the apoptotic index and derive high expression of anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, cell growth and development marker genes such as Mn-SOD, Survivin, Bax inhibitor, Glut-5, In-tau, compared to control group. In experiment 2, to produce the cloned Jeju Black Cattle, beef quality index grade 1 bull somatic cells were transferred into enucleated bovine MII oocytes and reconstructed embryos were cultured in 10 μM flavonoid added medium. When the in vitro produced day 7 or 8 SCNT blastocysts were transferred into a number of recipients, 10 μM flavonoid treatment group presented higher pregnancy rate (10.2%, 6/59) than control group (5.9%, 2/34). Total three cloned Jeju Black calves were born. Also, two cloned calves in 10 μM flavonoid group were born and both were all healthy at present, while the one cloned calf born in control group was dead one month after birth. In addition, when the result of short tandem repeat marker analysis of each cloned calf was investigated, microsatellite loci of 11 numbers matched genotype between donor cell and cloned calf tissue. These results demonstrated that the flavonoid addition in culture medium may have beneficial effects on in vitro and in vivo developmental capacity of SCNT embryos and pregnancy rate.

Mongolia has 80% livestock of total agriculture industry, 170,000 farms are engaged, 2,500,000 of cows that were beef and dairy cows are raised. Despite of Mongolian has great application with milk, there are not clear differences between cow and dairy cattle, and the production of milk is also low. But the milk suppliers are varied (horse, sheep, goat, etc), so that the total milk production is 500 thousand ton per year. It's really considerable to improve the breed of owing to many problems with big differences among milk qualities. For carrying out for first year project, artificial insemination project was operated with 3rd grade Holstein semen that were imported from S. Korea, and initiation and field training were also carried out through appropriate AI technique we developed for Mongolia environment. Local information research and MOU conclusion were done with professor D. Altangerel in May , 2009, and development for AI technique and AI equipments were supplied for Mongolia breeding and natural environment in July in 2009. All cows were treated by synchronization for AI. To do this, injection were treated for luteal phase cow, if it wouldn't work, try again after 11 days. After confirmation of estrus, AI and AI training were carried out with sperm injection in the uterus or cervix by rectum-vagina method which is common worldwide, the most effective artificial insemination technique. If cows were return to next estrus cycle, second AI was carried out about approximately 21 days after artificial insemination. After 2 months, all cows not showing return estrus should be taken pregnancy test. Every pregnant cow will be cared thoroughly. Total 48 cows administrated by for synchronization and after 48 hours 45 cows (93.8%) showing estrus were detected and then artificial inseminate them within who 8 cows (27.8%) showed return estrus. Therefore, Using for synchronization is effective to use for Mongolia breeding conditions. There are possibility of base for food production after all, including increase of livestock production in Mongolia by improvement of breeding cow with AI and embryo transfer project.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different feeding ratios of whole crop barley silage on the embryo production in Hanwoo donors. All donors were basically fed 2.5 kg concentrate daily. Donors were divided into three groups according to the different feeding of forage; hay 70% and rice straw 30% (control, n = 21), whole crop barley silage 80% and rice straw 20% (T1, n = 25), and whole crop barley silage 60% and rice straw 40% (T2, n = 23) fed based on TDN 6.70/ BW 500 kg. All Hanwoo donors received a CIDR together with injections of 1 mg estradiol benzoate and 50 mg progesterone (, Day 0). Four days later, they were superovulated with 28 mg FSH twice daily IM in decreasing doses over 4 days. Then donors received 2 doses of (25 and 15 mg) with the 5th and 6th injections of FSH on Day 6. CIDR were withdrawn at the 6th FSH injection and the donors received GnRH 36 h after the second injection. The donors were artificially inseminated twice, at 8 and 24 h after GnRH, and embryos were recovered 7 or 8 days after the 1st insemination. The flush rate of the donors following positive superovulation responses did not differ among groups (76.2~96.0%, p>0.05). The number of corpus luteum (CL) at embryo recovery also did not differ among groups (10.6~14.0, p>0.05). Furthermore, the mean numbers of total ova (9.4, 10.5 and 12.0) and transferable embryos (5.3, 12.0 and 6.5) did not significantly differ among the control, T1 and T2 groups, respectively (p>0.05). However, mean concentrations of serum of the T1 (64.2 ng/ml) and T2 groups (55.7 ng/ml) were higher than that of control group (43.3 ng/ml, p<0.01), while serum cholesterol concentrations in the control (105.8 mg/dl) and T2 groups () were significantly lower than in the T1 group (121.1 mg/dl, p<0.05). Conclusively, whole crop barley silage can be fed a good substitute for hay forage for Hanwoo donors. Furthermore the ratios of whole crop barley silage 60% and rice straw 40% might be more worthful for embryo production.