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This study was conducted using inbred ICR mice to investigate the sex-ratio of preimplantation mouse embryos. For the investigation of sex-ratio of mouse embryos, the karyotype of embryos collected at 70-72, 74-76, 78-80 and 82-84 hr after HCG injection was analyzed by chromosomal analysis. Eight-cell embryos were cultrued up to blastocyst stage, then divided them into three groups(fast-, intermediate- and slow-) according to the blastocoel formation. The sex-ratio was also investigated by chromosomal analysis. 1. The highest apperance of eight-cell and morula was observed at the embryos collected respectively at 66-68 hr(84.6%) and 82-84 hr(79.3%) compared to any other group. 2. The successful rate of embryos sexing at 4-, 8-cell and morula stage were 23.1% (3/13), 42.1%(138/328) and 32.6%(47/141), respectively. The respective sex ratios (female vs male) of 4-, 8-cell and morula were 66.7:33.3, 49.3:50.7 and 39.5:60.5. 3. Of the 476 eight-cell embryos cultured in vitro, 427(89.7%) embryos were developed to the blastocysts and the number of fast-, intermediate- and show-developing embryos were 139, 144 and 144, respectively. 4. Female to male ratios fo fast-, intermediate- and slow-developing group were 23.0:77.0, 55.2:44.8 and 73.8:26.2, respectively. Significantly higher (P<0.05) number of female (48/65;73.8%) was observed in the group of slow-developing embryo than that out of total number of embryos(82/188;43.6%).
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