Preservation of goat preantral follicles enclosed in ovarian tissue in saline or TCM 199 solutions

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of saline and TCM 199 solutions at different temperatures and incubation times on the morphology of goat preantral follicles. At the slaughterhouse the ovaries from does (n = 5) was divided into 18 fragments. The ovarian samples were randomly allocated to a saline or TCM 199 solution and stored at 4, 20 or 39 ◦C for 4, 12 or 24 h. The histological analysis showed that of normal follicles stored in a saline solution at 4 ◦C for up to 24 h was similar to that of TCM 199. However, the average number of morphologically normal preantral follicles stored in saline solution at 20 ◦C for 12 and 24 h and at 39 ◦C for all incubation periods was significantly (P < 0.05) lower when compared to those in TCM 199. Saline solution or TCM 199 can be used with the same effectiveness in preserving goat preantral follicles at 4 ◦C for storage periods of up to 24 h. However, for the preservation of goat preantral follicles at higher temperatures, TCM 199 is recommended. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.