Cytogenetic Study of In Vitro -Derived Bovine Embryos

Abstract A cytogenetic study of early bovine embryos (2–16 blastomeres) produced in vitro was conducted to determine the incidence of embryos carrying chromosome anomalies. The embryos were produced from immature oocytes matured in vitro and fertilized by sperm prepared using the Percoll density gradient method. Slides were prepared according to an ‘air drying’ technique and the chromosomal complement of embryos was studied by Giemsa-staining. Approximately 57% of prepared embryos were suitable for analysis. The results revealed that 18% of cytogenetically analysed embryos presented chromosomal anomalies, including haploidy (8%), aneuploidy (2%) and polyploidy (8%). Our results were compared to the results of other studies in cattle and other domestic animals.