Effect of dibutyryl cAMP on maturation and development of artificial activated pig oocytes in relation to the number of surrounding layers of cumulus cells
The object was to evaluate the competence of pig's oocytes to maturation, activation and subsequent development <i>in vitro</i> in dependence on the number of surrounding layers of cumulus cells and presence of dibutyryl cAMP in medium. It was shown that the nuclear maturation of the oocytes <i>in vitro</i> doesn't depend on the number of cumulus cell layers and presence of dbcAMF in medium. The excess (more than 4 layers) and deficit (less than one layer of cumulus cells) were shown to exert a negative effect on the embryonic development after artificial activation of oocytes. Addition of dbcAMF into the maturation medium significantly increased the developmental potential of the oocyte cumulus complexes with more than four layers and with less than one layer of cumulus by 5.1 (P<0.05) and 12.9% (P<0.001) respectively.