Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 23 pp 23808—23821

Figure 2. KP and LiCl optimization during porcine IVM. (A) Treatment with 5 pg/ml KP resulted in the highest blastocyst formation rate in PA-derived embryos, and treatment with 5 and 10 pg/ml significantly increased the total cell number of blastocysts compared to that in the control group. At least 160 oocytes from six biological replications were used. (B) Degrees of expansion of CCs in dose-dependent manner of KP. Only the 5 pg/ml KP treatment significantly increased CC expansion. Nine replications of this experiment were performed. (C) To specify the optimal concentration for treatment, the IC50 linear equation was applied using values derived from the blastocyst formation and cumulus cell expansion rates. The IC50 values for the optimal concentration were 6.5 mM and 5.3 mM, respectively. (D) Cumulus cell expansion of LiCl dose-dependent manner significantly decreased from 2.5 mM. Five replicates were performed. (E) Oocytes were treated with LiCl during IVM and used for evaluation of embryonic development. Treatment with 5 and 10 mM LiCl resulted in a significant decrease in blastocyst formation rate. More than 125 oocytes from four biological replications were used. Bars with letters indicate significant differences (P < 0.05).