Retrieval and Recovery Rate of Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Oocytes Through Aspiration Technique

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to retrieve good and excellent quality of oocytes from the ovaries of buffalo having unknown reproductive history by using the aspiration technique. The retrieval as well as recovery percent was recorded. Total nine hundred and twenty ovaries were collected during the period of study, on an average 20 ovaries were collected per slaughter. Buffalo cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC's) were retrieved by aspiration technique and further graded on the basis of cellular investment and homogenicity in to grade A, B, C and D. The mean recovery rate (i.e. no. of oocytes/ovary) was 2.20 ± 0.08, while that of grade A, B, A+B were 0.82 ± 0.03, 0.53 ± 0.03 and 1.35 ± 0.06, respectively. The mean retrieval percent of Grade A, B and A+B COC's were 37.10 ± 0.67, 23.74 ± 0.62 and 60.83 ± 0.84, respectively. The present finding led to the conclusion that aspiration technique seems to be a very promising technique for retrieval of developmentally competent oocytes from surface follicles and not from the deeper cortex which contained developing oocytes. By using aspiration technique, less amount of tissue debris obtained which may otherwise have adverse effect on the oocytes maturation and subsequent development of poor quality of embryos in vitro.