The effects of dimethyl-sulfoxide on the in vitro maturation and fertilization of bovine oocytes and the subsequent development

The present studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of a low concentration of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on in vitro maturation and development of bovine oocytes fertilized in vitro. Significantly more oocytes reached the metaphase stage of the second meiotic division in TCM-199 supplemented with 50 mu M DMSO than in the control medium (p < 0.05), and the highest rates of development up to the blastocyst stage were obtained when 50 mu M DMSO was added to the maturation and culture media (p < 0.05). The avarage of cell numbers of the blastocysts, expanded and hatched blastocysts cultured with 50 mu M DMSO were 81.7, 125.7 and 129.9 cells, respectively. The proportion of blastocysts with normal chromosome numbers was 90.5%. These results suggest that the addition of 50 mu M DMSO is beneficial for the maturation of bovine oocytes and production of the blastocysts with high quality.