scholarly journals Effect of Hyaluronan on Developmental Competence and Quality of Oocytes and Obtained Blastocysts fromIn VitroMaturation of Bovine Oocytes

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Opiela ◽  
Joanna Romanek ◽  
Daniel Lipiński ◽  
Zdzisław Smorąg

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hyaluronan (HA) during IVM on meiotic maturation, embryonic development, and the quality of oocytes, granulosa cells (GC), and obtained blastocysts. COCs were maturedin vitroin control medium and medium with additional 0.035% or 0.07% of exogenous HA. The meiotic maturity did not differ between the analysed groups. The best rate and the highest quality of obtained blastocysts were observed when 0.07% HA was used. A highly significant difference (P<0.001) was noted in the mean number of apoptotic nuclei per blastocyst and in the DCI between the 0.07% HA and the control blastocysts (P<0.01). Our results suggest that addition of 0.035% HA and 0.07% HA to oocyte maturation media does not affect oocyte nuclear maturation and DNA fragmentation. However, the addition of 0.07% HA during IVM decreases the level of blastocysts DNA fragmentation. Finally, our results suggest that it may be risky to increase the HA concentration during IVM above 0.07% as we found significantly higherBaxmRNA expression levels in GC cultured with 0.07% HA. The final concentration of HA being supplemented to oocyte maturation media is critical for the success of the IVP procedure.

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Romanek ◽  
Joanna Jurkiewicz ◽  
Agnieszka Wierzchoś-Hilczer ◽  
Jolanta Opiela

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes and subsequent embryonic development after in vitro fertilization as well as to assess the quality of obtained blastocysts. COCs were matured in vitro in 4 different media: 1. control medium; 2. control media supplemented with 50 ng/mL Tβ4; 3. control media supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL Tβ4; and 4. control media supplemented with 1 mg/mL Tβ4. The quality of the developed blastocysts was analysed by the TUNEL method. The number of cleaved eggs was significantly higher (P < 0.05) when gametes were matured in the presence of 50 ng/mL Tβ4 than it was using the other types of media. Additionally, the largest number of blastocysts was observed when 0.5 mg Tβ4 was added to the medium (P < 0.05). No significant difference was noted in the mean number of apoptotic nuclei per blastocyst or in the mean number of nuclei per blastocyst in any of the analysed groups. In conclusion, Tβ4 supplementation (50 ng/mL) in maturation medium increased the number of cleaved oocytes, and the number of blastocysts obtained increased when 0.5 mg/mL Tβ4 was used. This positive effect was not observed when higher a higher concentration of Tβ4 (1 mg/mL) was used.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 272 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Abdel-Ghani ◽  
Y. Yanagawa ◽  
A. Z. Balboula ◽  
K. Sakaguchi ◽  
C. Kanno ◽  
...  

In this study we investigated the effect of astaxanthin (Ax), which exhibits strong antioxidant activity, during invitro growth (IVG) on the developmental competence of oocytes and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells derived from early antral follicles. Bovine oocyte–cumulus–granulosa complexes collected from early antral follicles were cultured for 12 days in the presence or absence (control) of 500µM Ax. The viability of oocytes and antrum formation in the granulosa cell layer during IVG culture were greater in the presence than absence of Ax (P&lt;0.05). Regardless of Ax treatment, 17β-oestradiol production increased during IVG culture; however, progesterone production was significantly lower in the presence than absence of Ax (P&lt;0.05). Reactive oxygen species levels were lower in Ax-treated oocytes than in controls after IVG (P&lt;0.05). Although nuclear maturation and cleavage rates did not differ between the Ax-treated and control groups, Ax treatment led to weaker cathepsin B activity in oocytes and better blastocyst rates than in controls (P&lt;0.05). Accordingly, Ax treatment during IVG increased the total number of cells in blastocysts (P&lt;0.05). These results indicate that Ax supplementation of IVG medium improves the quality of bovine oocytes due to its antioxidative effects on growing oocytes and its suppression of the luteinisation of granulosa cells.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 860
Author(s):  
Wu-Sheng Sun ◽  
Hoon Jang ◽  
Mi-Ryung Park ◽  
Keon Bong Oh ◽  
Haesun Lee ◽  
...  

Oxidative stress has been suggested to negatively affect oocyte and embryo quality and developmental competence, resulting in failure to reach full term. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a cell-permeating antioxidant, on developmental competence and the quality of oocytes and embryos upon supplementation (0.1–10 mM) in maturation and culture medium in vitro using slaughterhouse-derived oocytes and embryos. The results show that treating oocytes with 1.0 mM NAC for 8 h during in vitro maturation attenuated the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (p < 0.05) and upregulated intracellular glutathione levels (p < 0.01) in oocytes. Interestingly, we found that NAC affects early embryonic development, not only in a dose-dependent, but also in a stage-specific, manner. Significantly (p < 0.05) decreased cleavage rates (90.25% vs. 81.46%) were observed during the early stage (days 0–2), while significantly (p < 0.05) increased developmental rates (38.20% vs. 44.46%) were observed during the later stage (from day 3) of embryonic development. In particular, NAC supplementation decreased the proportion of apoptotic blastomeres significantly (p < 0.05), resulting in enhanced hatching capability and developmental rates during the in vitro culture of embryos. Taken together, our results suggest that NAC supplementation has beneficial effects on bovine oocytes and embryos through the prevention of apoptosis and the elimination of oxygen free radicals during maturation and culture in vitro.


Zygote ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yun ◽  
Peng An ◽  
Jing Ning ◽  
Gui-Ming Zhao ◽  
Wen-Lin Yang ◽  
...  

SummaryOocyte-specific linker histone, H1foo, is localized on the oocyte chromosomes during the process of meiotic maturation, and is essential for mouse oocyte maturation. Bovine H1foo has been identified, and its expression profile throughout oocyte maturation and early embryo development has been established. However, it has not been confirmed if H1foo is indispensable during bovine oocyte maturation. Effective siRNAs against H1foo were screened in HeLa cells, and then siRNA was microinjected into bovine oocytes to down-regulate H1foo expression. H1foo overexpression was achieved via mRNA injection. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results indicated that H1foo was up-regulated by 200% and down-regulated by 70%. Based on the first polar body extrusion (PB1E) rate, H1foo overexpression apparently promoted meiotic progression. The knockdown of H1foo significantly impaired bovine oocyte maturation compared with H1foo overexpression and control groups (H1foo overexpression = 88.7%, H1foo siRNA = 41.2%, control = 71.2%; P < 0.05). This decrease can be rescued by co-injection of a modified H1foo mRNA that has escaped from the siRNA target. However, the H1e (somatic linker histone) overexpression had no effect on PB1E rate when compared with the control group. Therefore we concluded that H1foo is essential for bovine oocyte maturation and its overexpression stimulates the process.


Author(s):  
Batara Sirait ◽  
Budi Wiweko ◽  
Ahmad Aulia Jusuf ◽  
Dein Iftitah ◽  
R. Muharam

Oocyte developmental competence is one of the determining factors that influence the outcomes of an IVF cycle regarding the ability of a female gamete to reach maturation, be fertilized, and uphold an embryonic development up until the blastocyst stage. The current approach of assessing the competency of an oocyte is confined to an ambiguous and subjective oocyte morphological evaluation. Over the years, a myriad of biomarkers in the cumulus-oocyte-complex has been identified that could potentially function as molecular predictors for IVF program prognosis. This review aims to describe the predictive significance of several cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) biomarkers in evaluating oocyte developmental competence. A total of eight acclaimed cumulus biomarkers are examined in the study. RT-PCR and microarray analysis were extensively used to assess the significance of these biomarkers in foreseeing oocyte developmental competence. Notably, these biomarkers regulate vital processes associated with oocyte maturation and were found to be differentially expressed in COC encapsulating oocytes of different maturity. The biomarkers were reviewed according to the respective oocyte maturation events namely: nuclear maturation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix remodeling, and steroid metabolism. Although substantial in vitro evidence was presented to justify the potential use of cumulus biomarkers in predicting oocyte competency and IVF outcomes, the feasibility of assessing these biomarkers as an add-on prognostic procedure in IVF is still restricted due to study challenges.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. de Frutos ◽  
R. Vicente-Perez ◽  
P. J. Ross

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes in domestic animals is a widespread practice of research and commercial relevance. Gonadotropic hormones are typically supplemented to the IVM medium to stimulate resumption of meiosis, progression to metaphase II (MII), and oocyte developmental competence. The common use of pituitary-derived products presents 2 problems: contamination from other pituitary hormones and inconsistences from batch-to-batch variation. Recombinant hormones can help circumvent these issues and identify specific gonadotropin requirements for in vitro maturation. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of supplementing recombinant bovine LH and/or FSH (AspenBio) to the maturation of ovine oocytes in terms of cumulus expansion and progression to the MII stage. Abattoir-derived sheep cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were obtained from 1- to 5-mm-diameter antral follicles by ovary slicing. Oocytes with a homogeneous cytoplasm surrounded by at least 3 layers of cumulus cells were selected and cultured in serum-free IVM medium (Cotterill et al. 2012 Reproduction 144, 195–207) at 38.5°C and 5% CO2. The COC obtained from 8 replicates were allocated into 4 experimental groups: (1) no hormones; (2) 1.5 μg mL–1 recombinant bovine LH (rbLH); (3) 1.5 μg mL–1 recombinant bovine FSH (rbFSH); and (4) rbLH and rbFSH. The expansion of cumulus cells was recorded in each group after 24 h of IVM and COC classified as (1) very poor or no cumulus expansion (grade 1); (2) limited cumulus expansion (grade 2); and (3) full cumulus expansion (grade 3). Nuclear maturation in the 4 treatments was evaluated by assessing progression to the MII stage via DNA staining with Hoechst 33342 and fluorescence imaging. The effect of treatment on the observed proportion of MII oocytes was evaluated using a mixed logit model including treatment and replicate as fixed and random effects, respectively. Culture in IVM medium in the absence of gonadotropins or in the presence of rbLH resulted in poor cumulus expansion (grade 1). The supplementation of IVM medium with rbFSH (with or without rbLH) yielded a high degree of cumulus expansion (grades 2–3). Likewise, addition of rbFSH enhanced progression of oocytes to the MII stage, whereas use of rbLH, although it had an effect on progression to MII, did not augment the effect of rbFSH (Table 1). These results indicate that rbFSH is necessary and sufficient to induce sheep oocyte maturation in a high proportion of oocytes. Table 1.Cumulus expansion and oocyte nuclear stage after IVM


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. McDonald ◽  
D. A. Taggart ◽  
W. G. Breed ◽  
G. V. Druery ◽  
G. A. Shimmin ◽  
...  

The effect of the exogenous administration of porcine follicle-stimulating hormone (pFSH) and pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) on ovarian follicular development and oocyte maturation in the southern hairy nosed wombat Lasiorhinus latifrons was investigated. Three experimental groups were administered pFSH at various doses and for different treatment lengths, followed by 25 mg porcine luteinising hormone (pLH) 12 h after the last dose of pFSH. Another group was given PMSG followed 72 h later by 25 mg pLH. Animals were killed 24 h after pLH. The left ovary was fixed for histology and the morphology of the antral follicles was determined, whereas follicular oocytes in the right ovary were aspirated, fixed, stained with 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole, and viewed for nuclear maturation. There was no significant difference in the mean number of ovarian follicles >1 mm, or in the size class of follicles assessed between control and experimental groups. However, a trend was observed suggesting a possible increase in follicles >3.0 mm in experimental groups compared with control animals. In all females administered exogenous porcine gonadotrophins, but not controls, some of the mural granulosa cells of large tertiary antral follicles had markedly enlarged nuclei (approximately 14 µm in diameter). All oocytes from the control group remained at the germinal vesicle stage, whereas approximately 40% of oocytes retrieved from the pFSH groups and 82.4% retrieved from the PMSG-primed animals had undergone germinal vesicle break down, with a small number reaching meiosis II. The present study shows that exogenous administration of either pFSH or PMSG to hairy nosed wombats can induce follicular growth and oocyte maturation. Such findings could be useful in the development of reproductive technology in this species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirae Kim ◽  
Seon-Ung Hwang ◽  
Junchul David Yoon ◽  
Joohyeong Lee ◽  
Eunhye Kim ◽  
...  

Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) is a neurotrophic factor that plays an important role in follicular development and oocyte maturation. However, it is not yet known whether NT-4 is related to oocyte maturation and follicular development in pigs. This study aims to investigate the effects of NT-4 supplementation during in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes and subsequent embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation (PA). First, NT-4 and its receptors (TrkB and p75NTR) were identified through fluorescent immunohistochemistry in porcine ovaries. NT-4 was mainly expressed in theca and granulosa cells; phospho-TrkB and total TrkB were expressed in theca cells, granulosa cells, and oocytes; p75NTR was expressed in all follicular cells. During IVM, the defined maturation medium was supplemented with various concentrations of NT-4 (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL). After IVM, the nuclear maturation rate was significantly higher in the 10 and 100 ng/mL NT-4 treated groups than in the control. There was no significant difference in the intracellular reactive oxygen species levels in any group after IVM, but the 1 and 10 ng/mL NT-4 treatment groups showed a significant increase in the intracellular glutathione levels compared to the control. In matured cumulus cells, the 10 ng/mL NT-4 treatment group showed significantly increased cumulus expansion-related genes and epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling pathway-related genes. In matured oocytes, the 10 ng/mL treatment group showed significantly increased expression of cell proliferation-related genes, antioxidant-related genes, and EGF signaling pathway-related genes. We also investigated the subsequent embryonic developmental competence of PA embryos. After PA, the cleavage rates significantly increased in the 10 and 100 ng/mL NT-4 treatment groups. Although there was no significant difference in the total cell number of blastocysts, only the 10 ng/mL NT-4 treatment group showed a higher blastocyst formation rate than the control group. Our findings suggest that supplementation with the 10 ng/mL NT-4 can enhance porcine oocyte maturation by interacting with the EGF receptor signaling pathway. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time that NT-4 is not only required for porcine follicular development, but also has beneficial effects on oocyte maturation and developmental competence of PA embryos.


2008 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Varga ◽  
Erzsébet Gajdócsi ◽  
Brigitta Petz Makkosné ◽  
Ildikó Salamon ◽  
Ágnes Bali Papp

The breeding of Mangalica, a native pig breed in Hungary, had been started in 1833, but this pig breed almost became extinct in Hungary in the past decades. In 1991, the number of sows was only 200. Although in these days the existing Mangalica population consists of more than 6000 animals representing different colour variations, the preservation of this traditional pig breed is still very important. Vitrification is a potential tool for the preservation of gametes and embryos of these animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitrification on the developmental competence of Mangalica (M) and Large White (LW) oocytes following fertilisation. The oocytes were vitrified by the Open Pulled Straw (OPS) method using different concentrations of ethylene glycol and dimethyl sulphoxide as cryoprotectants. After rehydration the oocytes underwent in vitro fertilisation; the resultant zygotes were then cultured in vitro for four days to assess embryonic development. In the first experiment, in vitro maturation of M and LW oocytes was compared. No significant difference was observed in the nuclear maturation rate of LW and M oocytes. In the second experiment, the sensitivity of oocytes to vitrification was examined by evaluating oocyte morphology after thawing. A higher percentage of LW oocytes showed normal morphology compared to M oocytes, indicating that Mangalica oocytes are more sensitive to cryoprotectants than Large White oocytes. After warming and in vitro fertilisation, more than 50% of the oocytes started embryonic development and by the end of the incubation period morula stage embryos had developed in both groups. The results show that the OPS vitrification technique is well suited to preserve Mangalica oocytes and from these oocytes morula embryos can be produced.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
K. Kananen-Anttila ◽  
M. Eronen ◽  
J. Matilainen ◽  
M. Kallio ◽  
J. Peippo ◽  
...  

We have studied the effect of suppressed IVM on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes, aiming at elucidating the importance of cytoplasmic maturation in fertilization and embryo development. Six replicates of abattoir-derived oocytes were randomly divided into three IVM groups. Control (n = 950): TCM-199 with glutamax-I (Gibco, Grand Island, NY, USA), 0.25 mM Na-pyruvate, 100 IU mL−1 penicillin and 100 μg mL−1 streptomycin, 50 ng mL−1 FSH, and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (Gibco); Serum+FSH-free (n = 944): same as control but without FSH and FBS; α-amanitin (n = 977): same as control but with 10 μg mL−1 α-amanitin. Nuclear maturation of oocytes was studied 24 h after the onset of IVM, the formation of sperm aster structure 10 hours post-insemination (hpi) and the formation of pronuclei 20 hpi. Sperm aster was visualized with β-tubulin antibody (modified from Navara et al. 1999 Dev. Biol. 162, 29–40). Presumptive zygotes were cultured until Day 7 in modified SOFaaci + 4 mg mL−1 fatty acid-free BSA in 5% O2. Cumulus cell expansion was seen only in the control group. The results of nuclear maturation, fertilization, and embryo development are summarized in Table 1. Serum and FSH deprivation did not have a statistically significant effect on the parameters studied (vs. control). α-amanitin exposure during IVM reduced nuclear maturation, fertilization, and Day 3 embryo cleavage vs. control, and resulted in total blockage of Day 7 blastocyst development. The treatment groups had significantly smaller mean diameters of male pronuclei (control: 14 ± 0.6 μ­m; serum+FSH-free: 12 ± 0.5 μ­m, P < 0.05; α-amanitin: 10 ± 0.6 μ­m, P < 0.001) and sperm asters (control: 86 ± 4 μ­m; serum+FSH-free: 82 ± 4 μ­m, P < 0.01; α-amanitin: 49 ± 7 μm, P < 0.001) (nonparametric Kruskall Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests) vs. control group. Despite reduction in pronucleus and sperm aster diameter, serum and FSH deprivation during IVM did not affect in vitro developmental competence of bovine oocytes, suggesting a need for re-evaluation of the components of IVM. α-Amanitin exposure in IVM disturbed nuclear maturation, fertilization, and embryo development, indicating the essence of early transcription. Table 1. Average percentages ± (n) for nuclear maturation, fertilization (min two pronuclei), embryo cleavage, and blastocyst development


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