Co-culture of Buffalo Large Preantral Follicles with Ovarian Somatic Cells

Effect of co-culture of buffalo preantral follicles with different somatic cells, i.e. cumulus cells, granulosa cells, Ovarian Mesenchymal Cells (OMC) and Oviductal Epithelial Cells (OEC) was studied. Large preantral follicles were isolated by microdissecting the trypsin (1%) digested ovarian cortical slices. Cumulus cells were isolated by repeated pipetting of oocytes, granulosa cells were isolated by aspirating from punctured preantral follicles and OMC were isolated from ovarian cortex by scraping the cortical slices and passing through 20 μ filter. In-group 1, preantral follicles were cultured only in standard culture medium (control) without somatic cells for 80 days. Coculturing of preantral follicles were done with cumulus cells (group 2), granulosa cells (group 3), OMC (group 4) and OEC (group 5) for 80 days. The results indicated that preantral follicles which were co-cultured with cumulus cells, granulosa cells and OMC had a better development and survivability in vitro as compared to control and those co-culture with OEC (group 5).