Vitrification alters cell adhesion related genes in pre-implantation buffalo embryos: Protective role of β-mercaptoethanol

Abstract The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effect of vitrification on the expression of the key genes associated with blastocyst developmental potential (β-catenin, E-cadherin, Oct-4, Cdx2, Gata3), and whether the presence of β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME, 100 μM) in in vitro culture (IVC) media will affect the expression of these genes. Buffalo pre-implantation embryos were divided into three groups: (1) fresh non-vitrified embryos were used as control, (2) vitrified embryos cultured with β-ME (+), and (3) vitrified embryos cultured without (−) β-ME. The results showed that all genes were affected by vitrification, however, the presence of β-ME in IVC media significantly (P