본 연구는 돼지 미성숙 난포란의 유리화 동결액에 노출시 독성과 삼투압 스트레스가 가장 적은 유리화 동결액을 조사하기 위하여 실시하였으며, 그 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 미성숙 난포란을 EFS(40% ethylene glycol +18% ficoll +0.3 M sucrose) 용액, ES(5.5 M ethylene glycol +1.0 M sucrose) 용액, GE(10% glycerol +20% ethylene glycol) 용액에 각각 노출하고 대조구로 아무 처리하지 않은 난포란을 체외성숙하여 관찰한 체외성숙율은 ES 용액과 대조구 에서 EFS 용액과 GE 용액보다 유의적으로 높았으며(P<0.05), 유리화 동결액의 독성에 의한 난포란의 퇴화율은 대조구, ES 용액, EFS 용액, GE 용액 순으로 유의적으로 낮은 퇴화율을 나타내었다(P<0.05). 미성숙 난포란을 EFS 용액, ES용액, GE용액에 각각 노출하고 대조구로 아무 처리하지 않은 난포란을 체외성숙, 체외수정하여 관찰한 정상 수정율은 대조구가 세 종류의 유리화 동결액보다 유의적으로 높았고(P<0.05), 유리화 동결액 간에는 유의적인 차이가 없었다. 다정자 침입율과 난자당 침입한 평균 정자수는 모든 처리구간에 유의적인 차이가 없었다. 미성숙 난포란을 EFS 용액, ES 용액, GE 용액에 각각 노출하고 대조구로 아무 처리하지 않은 난포란을 체외성숙, 체외수정, 체외 배양하여 관찰한 수정 3 일째의 분할율은 ES 용액과 대조구가 EFS 용액과 GE 용액보다 유의적으로 높았으며(P<0.05), 수정 7일째의 배반포 형성율은 모든 처리구간에 유의적인 차이가 없었다. 배양기간 동안 나타난 퇴화율은 대조구가 세 가지 유리화 동결액에 비해 유의적으로 낮았고(P<0.05), ES 용액은 EFS 용액과 GE 용액보다 유의적으로 낮은 퇴화율을 나타내었다(P<0.05).

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of vitrification solution and developmental stage on the survival rate of vitrified-thawed human blastocyst embryos. Human blastocyst embryos were cryopreserved by vitrification using EFS and GE solution, and their survival rates were examined after thawing and further culture. EFS solution was consisted of 40% ethylene glycol, 18% Ficoll 70 and 0.3M sucrose. GE solution was consisted of 25% glycerol and 25% ethylene glycol. Embryos were exposed to EFS and GE solution by 2 steps and 3 steps, respectively, and plunged into liquid nitrogen after loading into 0.25ml plastic straws. Blastocysts were classified into 4 groups in accordance with their developmental stage: into 1) EEB, 2) MEB and 3) EdB, of blastocysts developed on day 5, and 4) 6d-Bla(the blastocysts which formed on day 6). The blastocysts at each stage were vitrified by GE solution and cryopreserved in LN2. After thawing them, we examined their survival rates, respectively. The resulted of this study were as follows: 1. The survival rate of blastocysts vitrified by GE solution was 64.4%, significantly higher than that (5.7%) vitrified by EFS solution (P<0.001). 2. When the blastocysts were vitrified by GE solution according to each developmental stage, the survival rates of EEB, MEB, EdB and 6d-Bla were 65.9%, 65.9%, 73.2% and 58.1%, respectively. In conclusion, the cryopreservation of human blastocysts by vitrification is likely to have a marked advantage in terms of cost, work and time as compared to the conventional slow freezing in IVF-ET programs.

The present experirnents on cryopreservation were carried out to investigate effect of solution toxicity, equilibration time and cell stages on the post-thaw survival of mouse morulae and blastocyst embryos cryopreserved by vitrification in EFS solution. The mouse embryos were exposed to the EFS solution in one step at room temperature, kept in the EFS solution during different period for toxicity test, vitrified in liquid nitrogen and thawed rapidly. After the mouse morulae embryos were exposed to EFS solution for 2 and 5 ruin. at room temperature and then they were washed in 0.5 M sucrose solution and basal mediurn(D-PBS + 10% FCS), they were cultured to examined cryoprotectant toxicity induced injury during exposure, most of embryos developed to expanded blastocysts(100 and 90.0%). However, when the exposure time was extended to 10 and 20 min, these development rates dropped dramatically in 10 ruin. (75.0%) and 20 ruin. (4.5%), respectively. When the compacted morulae were vitrified in EFS solution after equilibration for 2 and 5 min, the embryos have developed to normal blastocyst following thawing, washing and culture processes was 89.3 and 89.6%. However, when the exposure time was expanded to 10 ruin, this survival rate dropped to 68.8%. When the blastocyst were vitrified in EFS solution after equilibration for 2, 5 and 10 minutes, the survival rate of embryos which developed to normal blastocyst following thawing and culture processing were 58.5, 46.7 and 22.4%, respectively. The optimal time of equilibration of mouse morula and blastocysts in EFS solution seemed o be 2 and 5 ruin.

The post-thaw survival of mouse embryos of the various developmental stages was determined after cryopreservation by vitrification in a solution containing ethylene glycol, Ficoll and sucrose (EFS). All the embryos were equilibrated for 2 minutes just prior to freezing. The number of blastomeres during in vitro development was counted by nuclei higher rates of post-thaw survival were obtained from the embryos of 2-cell(92.2%), 8-cell(77.2%) or morula stage(90.0%) than those of blastocyst stage(62.7%). The number of blastomeres per embryo following in vitro culture for 24 hours was significantly(P<0.05) smaller as 66.0f22.3 in vitrified and thawed morulae than fresh morulae(91.712.2).