Decreased Fertility in Mice Immunized with Teratocarcinoma OTT6050

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Abstract
The effects of antiteratocarcinoma sera on preimplantation mouse embryos were tested in vivo and in vitro. Female or male mice actively immunized with embryoid bodies from the ascitic form of teratocarcinoma OTT6050 exhibited impaired fertility. The incidence of pregnancy decreased significantly for female immunized mice as well as for untreated mice bred with immunized males. In the case of immunized females the number of fetuses decreased as well, while the number of resorption sites was unaffected. The mating behavior was normal and normal corpora lutea were observed indicating normal cyclicity in immunized females. Sera from mice or rabbits immunized with intact embryoid bodies of teratocarcinoma OTT6050 exhibited complement mediated cytoxic activity when tested against cleavage stage embryos and blastocysts. In the absence of complement no adverse effects of the antisera were noted on fertilized ova grown in vitro up to the expanded blastocyst stage. Blastocyst outgrowth occurred in the presence of antisera heat treated to inactivate complement; however, the development of inner cell mass derived structures was impaired, resulting in many trophoblast outgrowths devoid of inner cell masses. In vitro fertilization was partially inhibited in the presence of iso-antisera and totally inhibited in the presence of high titer xeno-antisera. It is concluded that immunization with teratocarcinomas interferes with fertilization and early development of embryos both in vivo and in vitro.

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