The effect of different taurine concentrations on bovine embryo development in medium supplemented with different serum sources was studied. In the first experiment, in vitro fertilized zygotes (n=440) were divided into treatments with 0, 3, 7 or 14 mM of taurine in culture medium supplemented with 10% of fetal calf serum (FCS) and 3g/l of bovine serum albumin (BSA). In the second experiment, zygotes (n=940) were divided into treatments with 0, 3 or 14 mM of taurine in cultured medium supplemented with 10% of FCS or 3g/l of BSA. In the third experiment, zygotes (n=191) were divided into treatments with 0 or 3 mM of taurine in culture medium without serum source, even so supplemented with 3g/l of polyvinyl alcohol. In the first and second experiments no differences (P>0.05) in cleavage rate, blastocyst production and cells number among the concentrations of taurine were observed. In the third experiment, taurine increased (P<0.05) cleavage rate (68.5% vs. 16.9%) and blastocysts production (8.3% vs. 0%). The culture of zygotes in medium supplemented with FCS produced more (P<0.01) blastocyst in the seventh (25.6% vs. 6.7%) and eighth (30.8% vs. 13.9%) day post-fertilization and total cells number/blastocysts (104.8± 2.63 vs. 84.7± 3.86) than in medium with BSA, despite lower (P<0.01) cleavage rate (58.1% vs. 71.3%). In conclusion, taurine only has a beneficial effect in the embryo development in culture medium in the absence of FCS and BSA. Fetal calf serum decreases cleavage rate, however, it improves the embryo development after the early cleavage.
Cattle; embryo; taurine; in vitro culture
