Effect of Different Cryoprotectants on Post-thaw Survival and Development of Early Cleavage Stage Mouse Embryos

To evaluate the effects of different cryoprotectants on cryopreservation of the early cleavage embryos, three cryoprotectants 1, 2-propanediol (PROH), dimethyl-sulphoxide (DMSO) and glycerol, combined with sucrose were employed; and the post-thaw survival rate, as well as the cleavage rate of development to the blastocyst of 2-cell, 4-cell and 8-cell mouse embryos, were studied using the slowing-freezing and fast-thawing protocol. The survival rate and the cleavage rate with PROH as cryoprotectant were significantly higher than those of DMSO and glycerol. The results showed that PROH was the most effective cryoprotectant for the cryopreservation of early cleavage mouse embryos.