Cryopreservation of Sheep Produced Embryos – Current and Future Perspectives

Due to economical and scientific limitations, sheep embryo reproductive technologies are less commercially applied than in other animal species. However, it is very clear that, in the near future, those techniques are expected to have a central role in animal production as a consequence of genetic and reproductive demands. One drawback is that results obtained after sheep embryo cryopreservation are unattractive for commercial purposes. It is expected that a successful cryopreservation of sheep embryos can push forward all other reproductive biotechnologies in this species, such as multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), artificial insemination, or in vitro production of embryos. This paper tries to discuss the current and future perspectives of cryopreservation of in vivo- and in vitro-produced sheep embryos concerning advantages and limitations for its practical use and possible solutions for improving methods to allow a higher survival rate of cryopreserved embryos.

This work is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE and national funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology under the Strategic Project PEst-C/AGR/UI0115/2011 and the project PTDC/CVT-REP/2863/2012 and supported by Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), Universidade de Évora-Núcleo da Mitra.