Artificial Activation Of Mouse Oocytes With Srcl2 With Minimal Detrimental Effect On Early Embryonic Development

Zygote, the first step in the life establishment, is sensitive to environmental impact. Any detrimental effect to this unit may lead to major abnormalities in future development. Artificial activation of oocyte is a one of key step in cloning. Strontium chloride (SrCl2), a calcium oscillation inducing salt, is commonly used for the artificial activation mouse oocytes; however, limited reports are available to evaluate its negative impact. The objective of this study was to optimize the concentration of SrCl2 for artificial activation of mouse oocytes and to evaluate its toxic effect on early embryonic development. Our results indicated that higher percentage of activation of mouse oocyte was achieved with 10mM and 15mM for period of 3 h and 6 h compared to the control group (P<0.05). To examine the toxic effect, 10mM SrCl2 with 3 h exposure showed minimal detrimental effect on embryo development. Collectively, our findings revealed that 10mM concentration of SrCl2 for 3 h exposure was appropriate for oocyte activation with the least toxic impact for embryonic development.