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. 2005 Jun 20;102(26):9206–9211. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0502442102

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4.

BDNF conditioning of oocytes for development into preimplantation embryos. (A) COCs obtained from preovulatory follicles were cultured without (control) or with BDNF (3 ng/ml) for 16 h. After progression to the MII stage, oocytes were inseminated and cultured for 5 days more without hormones. The percentage of MII oocytes that developed to two-cell or blastocyst-stage embryos were evaluated (n = 5, 34-95 oocytes per experiment). (B) Effects of BDNF treatment on glutathione (GSH) content in oocytes. After treatment of COCs for 16 h without (control, C) or with BDNF, glutathione levels in oocytes at MII oocytes were evaluated (mean ± SEM, n = 6). (C) Effects of K252a treatment in vivo on the progression of zygotes into blastocysts in vitro. PMSG-primed mice were treated with hCG with or without K252a or K252b (10 μg, injections at 0, 4, and 8 h after hCG). After initial injection, mice were allowed to mate with fertile males. Fertilized oocytes were cultured for 5 days, and the number of blastocyst embryos was evaluated. (D) Effects of K252a treatment on the number of cells in the blastocysts. (E) Epifluorescence images of blastocysts stained with Hoechst 33342. (Scale bar, 20 μm.) *, P < 0.05 vs. control or vehicle group.