Comparison of the Effects of Myo-Inosito Alone or in Combination with Mem Vitamins on Embryo Development in Sanjabi Sheep

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of myo-inositol alone or in combination with MEM vitamins on embryo development in sanjabi sheep.Materials and Methods: Sheep Cumulus Oocytes Complexes (COCs) were matured in vitro at 39ºC, in humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere for 22-24 h. There were three treatments, culture in synthetic oviductal fluid medium (treatment I), culture in synthetic oviductal fluid medium supplemented with1×MEM vitamins (treatment II), culture in synthetic oviductal fluid medium supplemented with myo-inositol (treatment III), COCs were then fertilized and cultured in vitro for 8 days when the ratios of in vitro embryo development of the hatched blastocysts were assessed and compared with the control group.Results: The presence of myo-inpsitol significantly improved overall morula rates (34.39%) than that of control group (24.18%), but there was no difference between myo-inositol and 1×MEM vitamins in the percentage of embryos successfully developing to the morula stage (p<0.05). The addition of myo-inositol improved the mean blastocyst formation compared to the oocytes matured in medium containing no MEM (control) or 1×MEM vitamins (32.63, 13.96, and 21.06% respectively). However the mean percentage of cleavage rate was not substantialy different between treatments. Conclusion: These results suggest that adding myo-inositol to SOF medium be more beneficial for subsequent sheep embryonic development.