RT Journal Article
T1 Seasonal and age effects on in vitro embryo production in domestic cats under a standardized protocol
A1 Priego González, Andrea
A1 Munoz-Maceda, Ana
A1 Fuertes Recuero, Manuel
A1 Medranda Ayjon, Paula
A1 Sánchez-Calabuig, María Aránzazu
A1 Barroso Arévalo, Sandra
A1 Sánchez Calabuig, María Jesús
AB IntroductionIn vitro embryo production (IVP) in the domestic cat (Felis catus) remains highly variable owing to intrinsic reproductive traits and the absence of fully standardized protocols.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed 108 IVP replicates produced under a single protocol (2020–2024) to quantify the effects of season, donor age and methodological parameters on oocyte yield and embryo development.ResultsWinter proved the most favourable season for both oocyte recovery and blastocyst formation, whereas spring, despite lower initial yields, achieved the greatest post-selection oocyte retention. Donor age correlated negatively with oocyte number; however, older queens showed higher blastocyst conversion rates, suggesting that only developmentally competent oocytes persist at advanced age.DiscussionThese results highlight the need for rigorous donor selection and season-tailored IVP protocols to enhance embryo yield, quality and dataset reproducibility, prerequisites for deciphering embryo–maternal signalling mechanisms. Because the domestic cat serves as a valuable translational model for endangered felids, optimizing these factors will advance both feline ART and conservation breeding programs.
PB Frontiers Media
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124606
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124606
LA eng
NO Priego-González, A., Munoz-Maceda, A., Fuertes-Recuero, M., Medranda Ayjon, P., Sánchez-Calabuig, M. A., Barroso-Arévalo, S., & Sánchez-Calabuig, M. J. (2025). Seasonal and age effects on in vitro embryo production in domestic cats under a standardized protocol. Frontiers in veterinary science, 12, 1647305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1647305
NO Author contributions AP-G: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. AM-M: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. MF-R: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. PA: Writing – original draft, Data curation, Methodology, Supervision, Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Project administration, Validation, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Resources, Visualization, Software. MAS-C: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. SB-A: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft. MJS-C: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 19 ene 2026