PURPOSE: Our purpose was to develop a well-defined medium for the in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC).
METHODS: The COC were cultured in the presence of three protein supplementations: fetal bovine serum (FBS), bovine serum albumin, and Synthetic Serum Substitute. The embryos obtained after in vitro fertilization of IVM oocytes were cocultured with Vero cells and their development to the morula and blastocyst stages was studied.
RESULTS: When FBS was absent from the IVM medium, a significantly lower fertilization rate was observed, followed by a decrease in the percentage of embryos reaching the blastocyst stage. When FBS was replaced by a defined protein supplementation, the best results were obtained with Synthetic Serum Substitute.
CONCLUSIONS: Adequate protein supplementation of the IVM medium optimizes the fertilization rate and the development of bovine IVM oocytes. The implication of these results in the human field is discussed.