The Relative Centrifugation Force Permits Visualization of the Germinal Vesicle in Pig Oocytes

effect on subsequent maturation of GV stage pig oocytes after centrifugation. Therefore, a reliable RCF parameter to permit visualization of the GV without compromising the subsequent maturation or developmental competence of pig oocytes is necessary. In this study, we had optimized the condition for GV visualization in pig oocytes. The effects of different RCFs on subsequent maturation rates were also examined systematically. ABSTRACT : Pig oocytes contain high levels of lipids in the ooplasm, which reduces the visibility of the germinal vesicle (GV) under microscopic examination. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of relative centrifugation force (RCF) on the visibility and maturation rates of the GV stage oocytes after centrifugation. In Experiment 1, cumulus-oocyte-complexes (COCs) were collected from slaughterhouse ovaries and randomly allocated to different RCFs (3,000 rpm: 970 g; 6,000 rpm: 3,900 g; or 10,000 rpm: 10,840 g) for 10 or 20 min. Percentages of visible GV were 76-79% in the oocytes centrifuged with 10,000 rpm, which were significantly higher (p