Table 2.

Effects of NO donor supplementation to Cu deficient media on in vitro embryo and yolk sac development

	Cu+/Cu+	Cu−/Cu−	Cu−/Cu− + NO donor
Embryos examined (number)	86	36	33
Somite Pairs (number)	32.3 ± 0.1	32.0 ± 0.2	32.1 ± 0.1
Crown-Rump length (mm)	4.4 ± 0.0	4.3 ± 0.1	4.4 ± 0.0
Developmental Score	41.9 ± 0.4^a	39.8 ± 0.9^b	42.3 ± 0.3^a
Percentage of embryos with one or more embryo or yolk sac anomalies (%)	24.4^a	77.8^b	36.4^a
Percentage of embryos with one or more yolk sac anomalies (%)	14.0^a	63.9^b	15.2^a
Abnormal vascularization (%)	12.8^a	58.3^b	15.2^a
Blood pooling (%)	9.3^a	36.1^b	12.1^a
Blood islands (%)	3.5^a	25.0^b	0^a
Percentage of embryos with one or more heart anomalies (%)	4.7^a	22.2^b	3.0^a
Abnormal/swollen heart (%)	0^a	8.3^b	0^ab
Pericardium effusion (%)	4.7^a	16.7^b	3.0^ab
Percentage of embryos with one or more brain anomalies (%)	10.5^a	41.7^b	21.2^ab
Forebrain hypoplasia (%)	1.2	2.8	3.0
Microcephaly (%)	2.3	8.3	3.0
Hindbrain distension (%)	4.7	11.1	9.1
Open anterior neuropore (%)	1.2^a	13.9^b	3.0^ab

Gestation day (GD) 8.5 Cu adequate embryos were cultured for 48 h in Cu adequate media (Cu+/Cu+) and GD 8.5 Cu deficient embryos were cultured for 48 h in Cu deficient media (Cu−/Cu−), or in Cu deficient media supplemented with NO donor (Cu−/Cu− + NO donor). Values with different superscripts within a parameter are significantly different at p < 0.05