Modulating oxidative stress and epigenetic homeostasis in preimplantation IVF embryos

Zygote ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Yves Menezo ◽  
Patrice Clement ◽  
Brian Dale ◽  
Kay Elder

Summary Assisted reproductive technology is today considered a safe and reliable medical intervention, with healthy live births a reality for many IVF and ICSI treatment cycles. However, there are increasing numbers of published reports describing epigenetic/imprinting anomalies in children born as a result of these procedures. These anomalies have been attributed to methylation errors in embryo chromatin remodelling during in vitro culture. Here we re-visit three concepts: (1) the so-called ‘in vitro toxicity’ of ‘essential amino acids’ before the maternal to zygotic transition period; (2) the effect of hyperstimulation (controlled ovarian hyperstimulation) on homocysteine in the oocyte environment and the effect on methylation in the absence of essential amino acids; and (3) the fact/postulate that during the early stages of development the embryo undergoes a ‘global’ demethylation. Methylation processes require efficient protection against oxidative stress, which jeopardizes the correct acquisition of methylation marks as well as subsequent methylation maintenance. The universal precursor of methylation [by S-adenosyl methionine (SAM)], methionine, ‘an essential amino acid’, should be present in the culture. Polyamines, regulators of methylation, require SAM and arginine for their syntheses. Cystine, another ‘semi-essential amino acid’, is the precursor of the universal protective antioxidant molecule: glutathione. It protects methylation marks against some undue DNA demethylation processes through ten-eleven translocation (TET), after formation of hydroxymethyl cytosine. Early embryos are unable to convert homocysteine to cysteine as the cystathionine β-synthase pathway is not active. In this way, cysteine is a ‘real essential amino acid’. Most IVF culture medium do not maintain methylation/epigenetic processes, even in mouse assays. Essential amino acids should be present in human IVF medium to maintain adequate epigenetic marking in preimplantation embryos. Furthermore, morphological and morphometric data need to be re-evaluated, taking into account the basic biochemical processes involved in early life.

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Hyun Choi ◽  
Jonathan L. Coloff

Far beyond simply being 11 of the 20 amino acids needed for protein synthesis, non-essential amino acids play numerous important roles in tumor metabolism. These diverse functions include providing precursors for the biosynthesis of macromolecules, controlling redox status and antioxidant systems, and serving as substrates for post-translational and epigenetic modifications. This functional diversity has sparked great interest in targeting non-essential amino acid metabolism for cancer therapy and has motivated the development of several therapies that are either already used in the clinic or are currently in clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss the important roles that each of the 11 non-essential amino acids play in cancer, how their metabolic pathways are linked, and how researchers are working to overcome the unique challenges of targeting non-essential amino acid metabolism for cancer therapy.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-143
Author(s):  
William Renzo Cortez-Vega ◽  
Irene Rodrigues Freitas ◽  
Sandriane Pizato ◽  
Carlos Prentice

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to isolate Whitemouth croaker protein by alkaline solubilization process and evaluate their nutritional quality to evaluate the bioavailability of essential amino acids. Design/methodology/approach – The proximate composition, essential amino acid composition, in vitro digestibility, apparent bioavailability, chemical score of amino acids and SDS-PAGE were determined for the isolated croaker proteins. Findings – The isolated protein showed a high level of protein 92.21 percent and low amount of lipids 0.57 percent. The protein is rich in lysine and leucine, 108.73 and 96.75 mg/g protein, respectively. The protein isolate had high digestibility, 94.32 percent, which indicates proper utilization of this protein source, while the tryptophan had lower bioavailability (12.58 mg amino acid/mg protein). The high chemical scores were found for the amino acids lysine, methionine+cysteine (6.79 and 5.14). SDS-PAGE of proteins extracted showed appearance of the heavy chain of myosin (220 kDa), actin (50 kDa) and other fractions, with molecular weight between 20 and 50 kDa, such as troponin I, C and T. Originality/value – The products obtained from croaker muscle can be incorporated as a high value supplements in human diets. The isolated protein exhibited a high content of essential amino acids and digestibility, indicating that the protein has a high nutritional quality.


Reproduction ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 130 (5) ◽  
pp. 655-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J Booth ◽  
Peter G Humpherson ◽  
Terry J Watson ◽  
Henry J Leese

Preimplantation embryos can consume and produce amino acids in a manner dependent upon the stage of development that may be predictive of subsequent viability. In order to examine these relationships in the pig, patterns of net depletion and appearance of amino acids byin vitroproduced porcine preimplantation embryos were examined. Cumulus oocyte complexes derived from slaughterhouse pre-pubertal pig ovaries were matured for 40 h in defined TCM-199 medium (containing PVA) before being fertilised (Day 0) with frozen-thawed semen in Tris–based medium. After 6 h, presumptive zygotes were denuded and cultured in groups of 20, in NCSU-23 medium modified to contain 0.1 mM glutamine plus a mixture of 19 amino acids (aa) at low concentrations (0.02–0.11 mM) (NCSU-23aa). Groups of 2–20 embryos were removed (dependent on stage) on Day 0 (1 cell), Day 1 (two- and four-cells), Day 4 (compact morulae) and Day 6 (blastocysts) and placed in 4 μl NCSU-23aafor 24 h. After incubation, the embryos were removed and the spent media was analysed by HPLC. The net rate of amino acid depletion or appearance varied according to amino acid (P< 0.001) and, apart from serine and histidine, stage of development (P< 0.014). Glycine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, methionine, asparagine, lysine, glutamate and aspartate consistently appeared, whereas threonine, glutamine and arginine were consistently depleted. Five types of stage-dependent trends could be observed: Type I: amino acids having high rates of net appearance on Day 0 that reached a nadir on Day 1 or 4 but subsequently increased by Day 6 (glycine, glutamate); Type II: those that exhibited lower rates of net appearance on Days 0 and 6 compared with the intermediate Days 1 and 4 (isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, methionine, arginine); Type III: amino acids which showed a continuous fall in net appearance (asparagine, aspartate); Type IV: those that exhibited a steady fall in net depletion from Day 0 to Day 6 (glutamine, threonine); Type V: those following no discernable trend. Analysis of further embryo types indicated that presumptive polyspermic embryos on Day 0 had increased (P< 0.05) net rates of leucine, isoleucine, valine and glutamate appearance, and reduced (P< 0.05) net rates of threonine and glutamine depletion compared with normally inseminated oocytes. These data suggest that the net rates of depletion and uptake of amino acids by pig embryos vary between a) amino acids, b) the day of embryo development and, c) the type of embryos present at a given stage of development. The results also suggested that the net depletion and appearance rates of amino acids by early pig embryos might be more similar to those of the human than those of the mouse and cow.


2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hickson

The aim of the present paper is to critically review the details of the published nutrition intervention trials, with and without exercise, targeting sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass, strength and/or performance with age. Since amino acids and energy are required for muscle synthesis it is possible that nutritional intake influences sarcopenia. Nutritional studies are challenging to carry out because of the complexity of modulating dietary intake. It is very difficult to change one nutrient without influencing many others, which means that many of the published studies are problematic to interpret. The studies included evaluate whole protein, essential amino acids and β-hydroxyl β-methylbutyrate (HMB). Whole-protein supplementation failed to show a consistent effect on muscle mass, strength or function. This can be explained by the variations in study design, composition of the protein supplement and the failure to monitor voluntary food intake, adherence and baseline nutritional status. Essential amino-acid supplements showed an inconsistent effect but there are only two trials that have significant differences in methodology and the supplement used. The HMB studies are suggestive of a beneficial effect on older adults, but larger well-controlled studies are required that measure outcomes relevant to sarcopenia, ideally in sarcopenic populations. The issues of timing and distribution of protein intake, and increased splanchnic amino-acid sequestration are discussed, and recommendations for future trials are made.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. G. Jung ◽  
T. Sakata ◽  
E. S. Lee ◽  
Y. Fukui

The uptake and synthesis of 19 amino acids by fresh or frozen–thawed bovine blastocysts produced by parthenogenesis (PT) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) were compared in the present study. Fresh blastocysts, 180 h after IVF or PT activation, and frozen–thawed blastocysts, 168 h old and cultured for 12 h post-thawing, were cultured in synthetic oviduct fluid medium (SOFM) containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with both essential and non-essential amino acids (EAA and NEAA, respectively) (Medium 1: M1) or SOFM containing PVA with only EAA (Medium 2: M2). In Experiment 1, when fresh or frozen–thawed PT blastocysts were cultured in M1, the uptake of glutamate (in fresh only), aspartate and arginine, and the synthesis of glutamine and alanine were significantly enhanced. In the culture with M2, serine, asparagine, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, arginine and alanine were significantly taken up. It was found that the glutamine concentrations was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the culture medium drops containing embryos than in the drops without embryos. In Experiment 2, when PT blastocysts were cultured in M1, the uptake of aspartate and synthesis of alanine were greater (P < 0.01) than those by IVF blastocysts. When M2 was used, a significant (P < 0.01) production of serine, asparagine, glutamate, glutamine and alanine, and the uptake of arginine by PT blastocysts were observed. In Experiment 3, when IVF blastocysts were cultured in M1, fresh blastocysts depleted more aspartate and glutamate, and produced more glutamine and alanine than frozen–thawed blastocysts. When cultured in M2, frozen–thawed blastocysts depleted more threonine (P < 0.01) than fresh blastocysts. These results indicate that the uptake and synthesis of amino acids were different in fresh or frozen–thawed bovine blastocysts derived from PT or IVF. These differences in amino acid metabolism may be related to the viability of the blastocysts.


1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Heger ◽  
Z. Frydrych

1. Nitrogen balance was studied in growing male SPF-rats fed on diets in which each essential amino acid was varied from zero to about 120% of optimum requirement. From the balance results, optimum and maintenance requirements were estimated as well as the efficiency of utilization of amino acids for growth and growth + maintenance.2. N balance increased with increasing dietary level of the deficient amino acid; the response gradually diminished as the content of the amino acid approached optimum. At zero level of intake, negative N balance was found for all amino acids except histidine. The highest loss of body N was found in the sulphur-amino-acid-free diet and the lowest one in the lysine-free diet.3. Maximal utilization of essential amino acids for growth was found at dietary levels corresponding to 30–60% of optimum requirement and ranged from about 0.65 to 0.85 except for S amino acids and histidine. The utilization of S amino acids was about 0.55 while that of histidine exceeded 1.0. The utilization of amino acids for growth-tmaintenance was maximal at the lowest levels of intake and gradually decreased as the dietary concentration of the limiting amino acid increased. At dietary levels near optimum the utilization was about 06–07, except for S amino acids where the utilization was less than 0.5.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chie Suzuki ◽  
Koji Yoshioka

The effects of glutamine, hypotaurine, taurine and premixed solutions of essential amino acids (EAA) and non-essential amino acids (NEAA) on in vitro development of porcine zygotes were evaluated. The effects of refreshing the medium and replacing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) on embryonic development were also investigated. Porcine zygotes produced by in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) were cultured in porcine zygote medium (PZM), as the basal culture medium, for 5 days after IVF. The total number of cells in blastocysts was significantly increased by the addition of 2 mm glutamine to PZM, as was blastocyst yields after supplementation with 0.25 to 4 mm glutamine. Addition of 1.25 to 10 mm hypotaurine to PZM significantly increased blastocyst yields. Addition of 5 mm taurine to PZM significantly increased blastocyst yield, whereas taurine had no effect on blastocyst yield in cultures already containing 5 mm hypotaurine. Adding 1× EAA significantly increased the rate of blastocyst formation compared with no or 2× EAA, whereas 2× NEAA significantly increased the total cell numbers in blastocysts compared with no NEAA. Refreshing the medium at Day 3 had no effect on blastocyst yields, whereas medium change significantly reduced the total cell numbers in blastocysts. Adjusting the amino acid concentrations of a chemically defined medium can improve the developmental competence of porcine embryo.


1973 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Jose ◽  
Robert A. Good

Mice were fed diets deficient in a single essential amino acid, and the primary immune responses to inoculation of allogenic tumor cells was measured by in vitro assay of cellular immunity. Moderate reduction of the amino acids phenylalanine-tyrosine, valine, threonine, methionine-cystine, isoleucine, and tryptophane in the diet produced profound depression of hemagglutinating and blocking antibody responses, although cytotoxic cell-mediated immunity remained intact. These diets had previously been shown to result in a selective depression of tumor growth in mice. Limitation of the amino acids arginine, histidine, and lysine in the diets gave rise to only slight depression of the immune responses. These diets had previously been shown to produce a proportional decrease in both tumor growth and host body weight. Moderate leucine restriction resulted in a paradoxical depression of cytotoxic cell-mediated immunity with little effect on serum blocking activity. Slight increases had previously been noted in the weight of tumors in mice fed leucine-restricted diets. Deficiency or imbalance of essential amino acids in the diet may produce profound depression of immune responses and apparent, marked changes in the immune resistance of the host animal to tumors.


1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 835 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Pinyopummintr ◽  
BD Bavister

Effects of amino acids on early bovine embryo development in vitro were examined using a chemically-defined, protein-free culture medium. Bovine embryos produced in vitro were cultured from 18 h to 72 h post insemination in a simple medium containing lactate as the only energy source except for the amino acid treatments. Subsequently, embryos were transferred to TCM-199 supplemented with serum for blastocyst development to substantiate their developmental competence. Treatments were: (1) non-essential amino acids from TCM-199 (NEA); (2) essential amino acids from TCM-199 (EA); (3) NEA+EA; (4) Eagle's minimum essential medium amino acids (MEM AA); (5) 11 amino acids present in HECM-6 (11 AA); and (6) 0.2 mM glutamine (GLN). A higher proportion of embryos (percentage of inseminated ova) cleaved to the > or = 8-cell stage by 72 h post insemination in NEA (56.7%), EA (41.2%), 11 AA (40.3%) and GLN (51.1%) than in either NEA+EA (30.0%) or MEM AA (33.1%). However, after transfer to complex medium, embryos that had developed in EA, as well as those in MEM AA or NEA+EA, produced significantly fewer blastocysts (37.1%, 34.4% and 25.6% respectively) than those in NEA (56.7%), GLN (48.9%) or 11 AA (37.7%). The ability of blastocysts to hatch from their zonae pellucidae was also affected by amino acid treatment during cleavage stages. The present study indicated that the addition of NEA or GLN or 11 AA to a chemically-defined culture medium during the cleavage phase of bovine embryo development increases their subsequent ability to reach the blastocyst stage. These data have implications for understanding the nutritional needs of bovine embryos produced in vitro and for optimizing the composition of culture media to support their development.


2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1658) ◽  
pp. 987-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Akman Gündüz ◽  
A.E Douglas

Animals generally require a dietary supply of various nutrients (vitamins, essential amino acids, etc.) because their biosynthetic capabilities are limited. The capacity of aphids to use plant phloem sap, with low essential amino acid content, has been attributed to their symbiotic bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola , which can synthesize these nutrients; but this has not been demonstrated empirically. We demonstrate here that phloem sap obtained from the severed stylets of pea aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum feeding on Vicia faba plants generally provided inadequate amounts of at least one essential amino acid to support aphid growth. Complementary analyses using aphids reared on chemically defined diets with each amino acid individually omitted revealed that the capacity of the symbiotic bacterium B. aphidicola to synthesize essential amino acids exceeded the dietary deficit of all phloem amino acids except methionine. It is proposed that this shortfall of methionine was met by aphid usage of the non-protein amino acid 5-methylmethionine in the phloem sap. This study provides the first quantitative demonstration that bacterial symbiosis can meet the nutritional demand of plant-reared aphids. It shows how symbiosis with micro-organisms has enabled this group of animals to escape from the constraint of requiring a balanced dietary supply of amino acids.


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