Navid Dadashpour Davachi - Department of Research, Breeding and Production of Laboratory Animals, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Ebrahim Norouzi - Department of Research, Breeding and Production of Laboratory Animals, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Massod Didarkhah - Faculty of Agriculture Sarayan, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
Mohammad Eslampanah - Department of Pathology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
Mohammad Hasan Hablolvarid - Department of Pathology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

 BACKGROUND: The grivet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops), a non-human primate (NHP), has contributed sig-nificantly as an animal model in a variety of biological systems due to its similarities with human. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to establish a detailed procedure for in vitro maturation (IVM) of germi-nal-vesicle stage oocytes, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vitro embryo culture (IVC) of grivet monkey. METHODS: The reproductive organs were obtained from۱۰ adult male and ۴ adult female grivet monkeys after the proper anesthesia. The ovarian follicles were aspirated by aspiration technique or by the means of oocyte recov-ery with centrifugation (ORC). For the sperm recovery, the epididymides were dissected from the testicles and the tails of the epididymides were minced in the sperm washing medium and incubated for ۱۵ min. At the time of insemination, a portion of the pre-incubated spermatozoa (۱۰ μL) was introduced into ۹۰ μL of fertilization medium containing about ۲۰ matured oocytes. RESULTS: The data on the oocyte recovery rate and IVM showed significant increase (P<۰.۰۵) in the COCs recovered via ORC technique (۹.۸±۰.۴۱ and ۹۰.۹۰%) comparedto the recovered COCs using aspiration (۴.۴۵±۰.۳۲, ۸۰.۰۰%). The results showed similarity in the rate of cleavage in both groups (ORC and aspiration) (۷۱%). The rate of embryo development to the blastocyst stage was significantly higher in the ORC group (۴۳%) compared to the aspiration group (۳۳.۳۳%). CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the oocyte recovery technique is of great importance in terms of non-human primates' COCs competence in the in vitro embryo production (IVEP). On the other hand, it is well documented in the current research that the commercial ART medium used in the human infertility clinics is well applicable for the grivet monkey IVEP.

Cumulus oocyte complex, in vitro fertilization, in vitro maturation, Non-human primate, Sperm recovery