Treatment with Melatonin Enhances the Embryo Quality and the Development of Vitrified/warmed Eight Cell Mouse Embryos by Solid Surface Vitrification (SSV)

Abstract

Background: Melatonin is an endocrine hormone secreted from the pineal gland located outside the blood-brain barrier.

Objective: In this study, in vitro propagated eight-cell mouse embryos were vitrified by the Solid Surface Vitrification (SSV) method and after thawing, their in vitro development and embryo qualities in melatonin added media were investigated.

Methods: Pronuclear stage embryos obtained from super ovulated B6CBAF1/J strain mice, were cultured until the eight-cell stage. Then these eight-cell embryos were vitrified by the SSV method and after thawing, cultured in melatonin added media at 37°C and 5 %CO2 conditions until the blastocyst stage.

Result: In the experimental period, in vitro embryo development rates of the control, SSV and +10^-12 M melatonin groups were observed as 97%, 86% and 93%, respectively.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that melatonin addition slightly increased the development rates and total cell numbers of embryos vitrified by the SSV method.