Comparison of Development and the Incorporation of Glucose and Methionine between Parthenogenic and Fertilized Mouse Embryos

In this study, we used SrCl2 treatment to activate mouse oocytes. The objectives of this study were to compare the development of parthenogenic and fertilized mouse embryos, and the effect of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) on their development to blastocysts; glucose and methionine metabolism were also examined. Compared to normal fertilized embryos, parthenogenically developed embryos exhibited delayed development, reduced total cell number, and reduced trophectoderm cell (TC) and inner cell mass (ICM) cell numbers of blastocysts. Supplementation of IGF-II to the culture medium enhanced parthenogenic embryo development, cell number, and TC and ICM cell numbers but not to the same level as that of normal fertilized embryos (P < 0.05). Incorporation and oxidation of glucose and protein synthesis from methionine were lower in parthenogenic blastocysts than in fertilized blastocysts (P < 0.05).