Advances in Cryopreservation of Livestock Oocytes and Embryos

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Reproduction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1205

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: veterinary reproduction; veterinary neonatology; reproductive biotechnology; oxidative stress and antioxidants in reproduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federico II University, Via F. Delpino 1, 80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: biotechnologies applied to animal breeding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit a scientific manuscript to the Special Issue, “Advances in Cryopreservation of Livestock Oocytes and Embryos”, which is dedicated to publishing high-quality research on recent advances in the cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos in livestock species (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, horses and donkeys).

The journal aims to provide an international forum for original research articles, reviews and methodological papers addressing topics such as oocyte and embryo cryobiology, vitrification and slow-freezing techniques and their applications, cellular and molecular responses to cryopreservation.

This topic represents a highly challenging and continuously evolving field, driven by rapid technological advances and increasing demands in animal breeding, biodiversity preservation and reproductive biotechnology. In this context, there is a growing need to systematically collect, critically evaluate and share innovative protocols and emerging techniques in order to promote reproducibility, accelerate scientific progress and facilitate the translation of research outcomes into practical applications.

We sincerely hope you will consider this invitation and would be delighted to receive your contribution. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Dr. Chiara Del Prete
Dr. Valentina Longobardi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vitrification
  • cryopreservation
  • gametes
  • embryo
  • oocytes
  • animal reproduction biotechnology
  • cryoprotective agent
  • freezability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

28 pages, 12533 KB  
Review
Research Progress on Mammalian Oocyte Vitrification: From Damage Mechanisms to Optimization Strategies
by Kelin Song, Li Wang, Feng Yang, Hongqian Zhu, Qiuyu Meng, Xuelei Han, Ruimin Qiao, Jun Bai, Shuangbao Gun, Tong Yu and Xinjian Li
Animals 2026, 16(9), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16091406 - 3 May 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 799
Abstract
With the continuous advancement in reproductive biology, oocyte vitrification has become a critical technology for preserving female germplasm and protecting it from environmental disruptions. This technique also eliminates temporal and spatial constraints in animal embryo engineering research. However, during the vitrification of animal [...] Read more.
With the continuous advancement in reproductive biology, oocyte vitrification has become a critical technology for preserving female germplasm and protecting it from environmental disruptions. This technique also eliminates temporal and spatial constraints in animal embryo engineering research. However, during the vitrification of animal oocytes, exposure to low temperatures and high concentrations of cryoprotectants can cause various forms of damage, including cytoskeletal disruption, spindle abnormalities, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, oxidative stress and epigenetic modifications. These issues are now understood to severely restrict the subsequent developmental competence of oocytes, resulting in lower cleavage and blastocyst formation rates than those of fresh oocytes. Currently, the mechanisms of cryodamage in vitrified oocytes remain poorly understood, and standardized strategies to enhance vitrification efficiency have yet to be firmly established. This review provides a formal overview of the physiological factors underlying oocyte sensitivity to vitrification, alongside the mechanisms of cryodamage and the variables influencing post-thaw survival and reproductive success. It evaluates strategies for mitigating vitrification-induced stress, compares interspecies differences, and addresses current research limitations. By identifying future directions, this review offers new insights for optimizing mammalian oocyte cryopreservation techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cryopreservation of Livestock Oocytes and Embryos)
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