In Vitro Embryo Development in Porcine Models

In vitro embryo development in pigs encompasses a series of finely tuned laboratory procedures that recreate oocyte maturation, fertilisation and early embryogenesis under defined culture conditions. This approach has become indispensable for generating genetically modified lines, investigating mammalian developmental mechanisms and improving assisted reproductive technologies. Key stages include in vitro maturation (IVM) of cumulus-oocyte complexes, fertilisation via conventional or injection methods, and culture of zygotes through cleavage to the blastocyst stage. Advances in culture media formulations, cryopreservation protocols and understanding of genome activation have steadily increased embryo yield and quality. Modern transcriptomic and proteomic analyses have elucidated stage-specific metabolic requirements and stress responses, enabling targeted optimisation of culture environments. These developments hold global significance for agriculture, biomedicine and the study of fundamental processes such as totipotency and lineage specification.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that enriching the maturation medium with fibroblast growth factor 2, leukaemia inhibitory factor, insulin-like growth factor 1 and polyvinyl alcohol markedly improves in vitro embryo production. Such a defined medium elevates blastocyst formation rates, accelerates embryonic genome activation and promotes gene expression programmes associated with proliferation and differentiation. Immunocytochemistry confirms authentic chromatin remodelling at the four-cell stage, while RNA sequencing reveals upregulation of transcripts driving transcriptional regulation and cell cycle progression. These findings establish a robust platform for increasing porcine embryo yield and synchrony, with direct implications for genetic engineering and stem cell derivation.

In Vitro Embryo Development in Porcine Models publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in in vitro embryo development in porcine models across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

In vitro maturation (IVM): Oocyte maturation carried out outside the ovarian environment under controlled laboratory conditions.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF): Union of sperm and oocyte in a culture medium to initiate embryo formation.

Blastocyst: Embryonic stage characterised by a fluid-filled cavity, an inner cell mass and an outer trophectoderm.

Embryonic genome activation (EGA): Transition when embryonic transcription supersedes maternal RNA contributions during early cleavage.

Vitrification: Rapid cryopreservation method that prevents ice‐crystal formation by ultra-fast cooling in high-concentration cryoprotectants.

References

1. Meiotic and developmental competence of growing pig oocytes derived from small antral follicles is enhanced in culture medium containing FGF2, LIF, and IGF1 (FLI medium). Journal of Ovarian Research (2024).
2. Impact of media supplements FGF2, LIF and IGF1 on the genome activity of porcine embryos produced in vitro. Scientific Reports (2024).
3. Challenges and Considerations during In Vitro Production of Porcine Embryos. Cells (2021).
4. RNA Profiles of Porcine Embryos during Genome Activation Reveal Complex Metabolic Switch Sensitive to In Vitro Conditions. PLOS ONE (2013).
5. Vitrification of porcine immature oocytes and zygotes results in different levels of DNA damage which reflects developmental competence to the blastocyst stage. PLOS ONE (2023).