ABSTRACT
It has been reported that the addition of water-soluble vitamins, particularly inositol, to the embryo culture medium enhances the hatching of rabbit and hamster blastocysts61,62. Vitamins affect glucose metabolism in mouse53 and sheep embryos63. However, there is a paucity of information about the effects of vitamins in culture medium on the maturational and developmental competence of immature oocytes. The results from this laboratory demonstrate that the presence of vitamins in the oocyte maturation medium is important for subsequent bovine embryonic development64. Based on the animal model study, we have designed a new IVM medium and shown that this is beneficial for nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of immature human oocytes derived from both stimulated IVF and unstimulated cycles34.
