Effect of FSH-induced Ovarian Stimulation on Oocyte Recovery and in vitro Embryo Production by Ovum Pick-up in Sahiwal Cows
Rabindra Kumar *
Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Sushant Srivastava
Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Namita Joshi
Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Jaswant Singh
Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Bhoopendra Singh
Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
S. K. Maurya
Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Subodh Kumar
Department of Livestock Farm Complex, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Saurabh
Department of Veterinary Clinical Complex, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
Kh. Sangeeta Devi
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) pre-stimulation on oocyte recovery and oocyte developmental competence in Sahiwal donor cows. Twelve Sahiwal cows (n=12), aged 3-6 years and maintained at the Livestock Farm Complex under the Embryo Transfer and In Vitro Fertilisation Project (RKVY), Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, ANDUAT, Kumarganj, Ayodhya, were randomly divided into two groups. The selected donor cows received 10 µg of GnRH at a random stage of the oestrous cycle. In Group I, which served as the control, ovum pick-up (OPU) was performed 5 days after GnRH administration. Group II cows (FSH-stimulated, n = 6) received pre-stimulation with 200 mg Stimufol intramuscularly in three tapering doses (100, 60, and 40 mg), and OPU was conducted 48 hours after the final FSH injection. The retrieved COCs were subjected to in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilisation, and in vitro culture. The number of aspirated follicles and recovered COCs was higher (P < 0.05) in FSH-treated cows than in the control group. Furthermore, FSH-treated cows exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) higher maturation rates (69.75±3.35), cleavage rates (76.00±2.52), and blastocyst development rates (27.25±5.59) than the control group. In conclusion, FSH treatment before ovum pick-up enhanced both oocyte recovery and the developmental competence of oocytes, which may improve in vitro embryo production.
Keywords: Sahiwal cow, blastocyst, cumulus-oocyte complex, follicle-stimulating hormone, follicular development, ovum pick-up, oocyte recovery, ovarian stimulation, oocyte quality