Fertilization of pig follicular oocytes cultivated in vitro

Abstract

The results showed an increase in the fertilization rate of the oocytes which correlated with the stage of development at the beginning of cultivation. In oocytes cultivated from the germinal vesicle stage, the fertilization rate was 31.7%; for those taken in diakinesis, it was 51.6% and for oocytes cultivated from metaphase I, it was 78.2%, i.e. a level almost comparable with naturally maturing germ cells. The principal abnormal form of fertilization encountered was a failure of the head of the spermatozoon to transform to a male pronucleus.