Assessment of the Impact of Corpus luteum on in Vitro Maturation and Developmental Competence of Dromedary Camel Oocytes

TO ASCERTAIN the effect of corpus luteum (CL) on the oocytes retrieval, quality and in vitro developmental competence in camels, ovaries were collected from apparent healthy slaughtered she-camel during breeding season and categorized according to the presence (group I) or absence (Group II) of CL. Oocytes were aspirated from 2-5 mm antral follicles on the surface of pathological-free-ovaries, quantified and morphologically graded depending upon the cumulus investment and cytoplasmic distribution. Oocytes from each group were matured in vitro and examined for nuclear maturation in fixed slides after 30 hours of incubation. In vitro matured oocytes from each group were fertilized with epididymal sperm suspension and assessed for the cleavage and development to morula and blastocyst stages at 3rd, 5th and 7th day, respectively. Under the present experimental conditions, the accessible data showed a significant influence of CL presence on thequantity, quality and in vitro nuclear maturation of retrieved oocytes in camels. The number of all retrieved oocytes classes was higher in the absence of CL.While the rate of excellent and poor quality oocytes retrieval was higher (p 0.05) in the absence of CL, the good quality oocytes were retrieved at higher rate (p 0.001) in the presence of CL. The highest rate of metaphase II (MII) was recorded in oocytes harvested from ovaries had no CL. Nevertheless, CL had no marked influence on the rate of cleavage, morula and blastocyst formation. It could be concluded that the presence of CL is not a barrier against embryo developmental competence, though its marked influence on ovarian follicular activity.