Impact ofoxygen concentrationonadult murine pre-antral follicle development in vitro and the corresponding metabolic profile

Abstract

Oxygen concentration during in vitro culture has a significant effect on the physiology of embryos, altering metabolic profile and developmental outcome. Although atmospheric oxygen has been used routinely for the culture of ovarian follicles, oxygen concentration mayalso be critical for follicle growth but the optimal concentration has not been determined. In this study, mechanically isolated primary and secondary follicles (80-140 μm diameter) from adult mouse ovaries were cultured in serum-free conditions for 8 days in either 5 or 20% oxygen to determine growth (follicular diameter), morphology and viability. For each oxygen concentration, half of the mediumwas replaced on Days 2, 4 and 6..