Development of mouse embryos in media containing lectins

Lectins known to stimulate mitosis in cultured cells were evaluated for effects on development of mouse embryos in vitro. Two-cell mouse embryos were cultured in one of the following treatments: Whitten's medium as the control medium; Whitten's medium with 1, 10 or 100 μg/ml concanavalin A; Whitten's medium with 1, 10 or 100 μg/ml leucoagglutinin; Whitten's medium with 1, 10 or 100 μg/ml phytohemagglutinin; Whitten's medium with 1, 10 or 100 μg/ml pokeweed-mitogen; and Whitten's medium with 1, 10 or 100 μg/ml wheat germ agglutinin. Development to the morula stage was blocked in media with 100 μg/ml concanavalin A and 10 and 100 μg/ml wheat germ agglutinin, whereas blastocyst formation was blocked in all pokeweed-mitogen supplemented media. Embryos incubated in 10 and 100 μg/ml wheat germ agglutinin underwent premature cavitation or vacuolation at 24 to 48 h of culture. More embryos formed blastocysts in media with 1 and 100 μg/ml phytohemagglutinin and 10 μg/ml leucoagglutinin than in Whitten's medium (P