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Detrimental effects of antibiotics on mouse embryos in chromatin integrity, apoptosis and expression of zygotically activated genes

Authors :
Baoying Yin
Shuang Tang
Yongsheng Wang
Yong Zhang
Jun Liu
Wei Xu
Source :
Zygote. 19:137-145
Publication Year :
2010
Publisher :
Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2010.

Abstract

SummaryThe effects of specific components in culture medium on embryo physiology have been extensively investigated to optimizein vitroculture systems; however, little attention has been paid to antibiotics, the reagents used most commonly in culture systems to prevent contamination. To investigate the potential effects of routine use of antibiotics on cultured embryos, mouse zygotes were cultured with or without antibiotics. In both groups, the developmental rate and cell number of blastocysts appear to be normal. The proportion of embryos with blastomere fragmentation increased slightly when embryos were cultured with antibiotics. In contrast, the presence of antibiotics in the embryo culture system significantly disturbs expression of zygotically activated genes, damages chromatin integrity and increases apoptosis of cultured embryos. These results provide evidence that, when cultured with antibiotics, embryos with normal appearance may possess intrinsic physiological and genetic abnormalities. We demonstrate that the adverse effects of antibiotics on mammalian embryos are more severe than we previously presumed and that antibiotics are not essential for sterility of embryo culture system therefore abolishing antibiotic supplementation during embryo culture.

Details

ISSN :
14698730 and 09671994
Volume :
19
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Zygote
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....33241999549f4c268e308f21a84d72d9
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0967199410000249