Incorporation of carbon from glucose and pyruvate into the preimplantation mouse embryo

Abstract

Incorporation of carbon from glucose and pyruvate into the mouse embryo over relatively long periods of time has been determined for the preimplantation mouse embryo. Total incorporation of carbon increases from 2.409 μμ atoms/embryo/h during the one-cell to two-cell period up to 21.801 μμ atoms/embryo/h during the morula to blastocyst period. The studies show that incorporation of glucose carbon is greater than pyruvate carbon for all the preimplantation developmental stages. These studies also indicate that glucose is incorporated more than it is oxidized and that pyruvate is oxidized more than it is incorporated throughout the preimplantation developmental period in the mouse.