In vitro development of bovine embryos cultured with activin A

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of activin A on development, differential cell counts and apoptosis/necrosis rates of bovine embryos produced in vitro. Presumptive zygotes were cultured up to Day 8 in synthetic oviduct fluid containing aminoacids, citrate, myo-inositol and BSA. In Experiment 1, activin (10 ng mL−1) was added: 1/from Day 1 to Day 3; 2/from Day 1 to Day 8; 3/from Day 3 to Day 8; or 4/absent (control). In Experiment 2, 10 ng mL−1 activin were added either before (Day 3 to Day 5) or after (Day 5 to Day 8) the early morula stage. In Experiment 1, activin during the first 72 h of culture reduced Day 3 cleavage, 5–8 cell rates and blastocyst development, while hatching rates increased. No changes were observed within differential cell counts. In experiment 2, activin improved blastocyst development after, and had no effect before, the Day 5 morula stage. However, trophectoderm (TE) cell numbers decreased with activin both before and after the Day 5 morula stage, suggesting that activin inhibits TE differentiation. The presence of activin during the whole culture had no effect on TUNEL positive cells, but when added at shorter periods activin increased apoptotic rates. Effects of activin during in vitro bovine embryo development, depends on timing of its addition to the culture medium.