Comparative efficacy of recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone and porcine follicle stimulating hormone on follicular response, oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production in donor cows (Bos indicus)

The present study compared the efficacy of long-acting recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (rhFSH) and pituitary-derived FSH (pFSH) on follicular response, oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production in donor cows. Eight high-yielding multiparous cows were subjected to two ovarian superstimulation protocols in a crossover design. In the first trial, donors received 200 mg pFSH in tapering doses, while in the second trial a single dose of long-acting rhFSH (300 IU) was administered. Transvaginal ovum pick-up (OPU) was performed on Day 8, and follicular count, oocyte recovery rate, oocyte quality, cleavage rate and blastocyst rate were recorded. The mean total follicle count did not differ significantly between pFSH (27±1.83) and rhFSH (25±2.15) stimulated groups. The oocyte recovery rate was significantly higher in the rhFSH group (77%; 154/200) compared to the pFSH group (68.05%; 147/216). The mean total oocyte yield per OPU was comparable between rhFSH (19.25±2.03) and pFSH (18.37±1.53) treatments. Cleavage rate (66.23% vs 72.1%) and blastocyst rate (55.84% vs 62.58%) did not differ significantly between rhFSH and pFSH groups, respectively. It may be concluded that long-acting rhFSH was comparable to conventional pFSH in terms of follicular response, oocyte quality and embryo production, while providing significantly improved oocyte recovery efficiency.