Vitrification of mouse two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos in simplified closed system using either a hemi-straw or a hollow fiber device

Abstract

Two-cell stage and blastocyst stage mouse embryos were equilibrated in a medium containing 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for 8–15 min. Vitrification was performed in a medium containing 0.5 M sucrose and either 15% EG + 15% DMSO, 17.5% EG + 17.5% DMSO, or 20% EG + 20% DMSO for 30 s. They were then placed either on a hemi-straw (HS) or a hollow fiber vitrification (HFV) device and vitrified by cooled air inside a 0.5-ml straw. In two-cell embryos, a 100% survival rate was obtained from all groups except the 20% HS group (P >.05). All vitrified two-cell groups showed similar rates of blastocyst development to that of fresh control group (P >.05), except 17.5% and 20% HFV groups, which were significantly lower than the other groups (P <.05). In the blastocyst embryos, the HFV groups were divided into two subgroups (non-collapsed; HFV-NC and collapsed; HFV-C blastocyst). Re-expansion rate in 15% HFV-NC, 17.5% HFV-NC, and 15% HFV-C groups was reduced (P <.05), whereas the rest were similar to control. In conclusion, we established a simplified, reliable, and closed system for HFV vitrification applying hemi-straw, which does not require skilled practitioners.