ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Reproduction - Theriogenology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1647305
This article is part of the Research TopicEmbryo-Maternal Communication: Uncovering Molecular and Cellular MechanismsView all articles
Seasonal and Age Effects on In Vitro Embryo Production in Domestic Cats under a Standardized ProtocolSeasonal, Age-Related, and Methodological Influences on In Vitro Embryo Production in the Domestic Cat
Provisionally accepted
Andrea Priego-González1,2
Ana Munoz-Maceda1
Manuel Fuertes-Recuero2,3
María Aránzazu Sánchez-Calabuig4,5
Sandra Barroso-Arévalo1*María Jesús Sánchez-Calabuig1,2- 1Medicine and Surgery Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- 2Complutense Veterinary Teaching Hospital University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- 3Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
- 4Faculty of Health Sciences-HM Hospitals, University Camilo José Cela, Urb. Villafranca del Castillo 49, Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain
- 5Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
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In vitro embryo production (IVP) in the domestic cat (Felis catus) remains highly variable owing to intrinsic reproductive traits and the absence of fully standardised protocols. We 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. Winter 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. These 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, optimising these factors will advance both feline ART and conservation breeding programs.
Keywords: Domestic cat, In vitro embryo production, assisted reproductive technologies, Seasonality, Felis catus
Received: 15 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Priego-González, Munoz-Maceda, Fuertes-Recuero, Sánchez-Calabuig, Barroso-Arévalo and Sánchez-Calabuig. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sandra Barroso-Arévalo, Medicine and Surgery Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
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