We have previously shown that follicular and oviductal fluid provide greater total protection against lipid peroxidation than the respective media used for the in vitro embryo production. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been implicated as a major cause for the reduced in vitro bovine embryo production; it is believed that they participate in meiotic arrest of oocytes, embryonic block and cell death. The aim of this study was to determine whether guaiazulene (G), an exogenous antioxidant, added in the post fertilization culture medium would affect the early embryo development and the quality of the produced blastocysts in terms of mRNA expression of several important genes. In a previous study we had shown that media modified with 0.01 mm of G provided the same antioxidant protection as the respective in vivo environments (i.e. the follicular and the oviductal fluid). Bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were aspirated from ovaries derived from slaughtered cows and matured in groups of 50 in 500 μL in TCM199 with 10% fetal calf serum and 10 ng mL–1 Epidermal Growth factor at 39°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air and maximum humidity. Twenty-four hours later matured oocytes were inseminated with frozen/thawed bull semen and co-incubated in the same conditions as maturation. Presumptive zygotes were divided into 4 groups and cultured in groups of 25 in 25 μL of SOF with 5% FCS (Control–, n = 355), supplemented with 0.01 mm of G (n = 344) or 0.1 mm of G (n = 345) or 0.05% DMSO – the G diluent–(Control+, n = 347) at 39°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2, 5% O2 and maximum humidity. Blastocyst yield was recorded on Days 6, 7, 8 and 9; Day 7 blastocysts from each group were snap frozen and stored at –80°C for mRNA extraction. Quantification of transcripts for aldose reductase mRNA (AKRIBI), prostaglandin G/H synthase-2 (PGHS-2, COX-2), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADPH), facilitated glucose/fructose transporter, member 5 (GLUT-5) genes related to metabolism, glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) antioxidant enzymes and placenta-specific 8 (PLAC8) related to implantation was carried out by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Data for embryo development and on transcript abundance were analyzed by chi square and ANOVA, respectively. Cleavage rate tended to be higher in 0.01 mm group than in Control– (77.87% v. 71.41%, P = 0.07). Barring that, no other differences were detected in cleavage rate (Control+: 71.32%; 0.1 mm: 72.75%) or in the overall blastocyst yield on Day 9 (Control–: 25.50%; Control+: 26.71%; 0.1 mm: 25.75%; 0.01 mm: 29.58%). The relative abundance of genes studied varied among groups, but these differences were not significant. We infer that under the current culture conditions, G as an antioxidant has no serious direct effect on early embryo development or on embryo quality at least on the mRNA transcripts studied. Further studies using the same antioxidant in different atmospheric conditions are planed.
ED and GSA were sponsored by COST (FAO702) and OECD fellowships, respectively.
Influence of nutrition on the effectiveness of superovulation programmes in ewes: effect on oocyte quality and post-fertilization development
