Effects of milrinone and butyrolactone-I on porcine oocyte meiotic progression and developmental competence

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Grupen ◽  
Maggie Fung ◽  
David T. Armstrong

Inappropriate coordination of oocyte nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation is thought to contribute to the poor efficiency of embryo production in vitro. With the aim of improving this coordination, the effects of milrinone, an inhibitor of type 3 phosphodiesterases, and butyrolactone-I, a selective inhibitor of cdc2 kinases, on porcine oocyte maturation were investigated. Oocytes recovered from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries of prepubertal animals were treated with the inhibitors for 24 h. At concentrations of 50 and 250 μm, milrinone reversibly inhibited meiotic progression in 57% and 71% of oocytes, respectively. The presence or absence of milrinone in the medium used to wash oocytes for 30 min did not alter the inhibitory effect of the 24 h treatment. At concentrations of 25 and 50 μm, butyrolactone-I inhibited meiotic progression in 61% and 66% of oocytes, respectively, but the effect was not fully reversible in the absence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The presence of FSH during the butyrolactone-I treatment period increased the ability of oocytes to subsequently complete meiosis at 44 h without changing the inhibitory effect at 24 h. Following in vitro fertilisation at 44 and 50 h, treatment with butyrolactone-I and milrinone, alone or in combination, did not alter embryo cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate or blastocyst cell number. Despite the different actions of milrinone and butyrolactone-I, the present study demonstrates that these reagents inhibit meiotic progression to a similar extent in the presence of FSH while maintaining developmental competence in porcine oocytes.

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Joanna M.G. Souza-Fabjan ◽  
Lucas F.L. Correia ◽  
Ribrio I.T.P. Batista ◽  
Yann Locatelli ◽  
Vicente J.F. Freitas ◽  
...  

Reproductive seasonality may have a considerable influence on the efficiency of assisted reproductive technologies in seasonal species. This study evaluated the effect of season on cleavage, blastocyst rates and quality of in vitro produced (IVP) goat embryos. In total, 2348 cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and subjected to the same IVP system throughout 1.5 years (49 replicates). The odds ratio (OR) among seasons was calculated from values of cleavage and blastocyst rates in each season. Cleavage rate was lower (p < 0.05) in spring (anestrus), in comparison with either autumn (peak of breeding season) or summer, while the winter had intermediate values. Furthermore, lower OR of cleavage was observed in spring. Blastocyst formation rate (from initial number of COCs) was higher (p < 0.05) in autumn (52 ± 2.5%) when compared with the other seasons (combined rates: 40 ± 1.9%). Moreover, its OR was higher (p < 0.05) in autumn compared to all other seasons and impaired in the spring compared to winter (OR: 0.54) and summer (OR: 0.48). Embryo hatchability and blastocyst cell number were similar (p > 0.05) among seasons. In conclusion, the breeding season leads to improved oocyte developmental competence, resulting in higher cleavage and blastocyst yield, whereas embryo quality remained similar throughout the years.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Y. Liu ◽  
A. Lucas-Hahn ◽  
B. Petersen ◽  
R. Li ◽  
P. Hassel ◽  
...  

Two nuclear transfer (NT) techniques are routinely used to produce cloned animals, traditional cloning (TC) and handmade cloning (HMC). The TC embryos keep their zona and can be transferred at early stages, whereas HMC embryos are zona-free and must be cultured to the morula/blastocyst stage before transfer. Some studies have shown that in vitro culture reduces embryo development and quality, but it is not known whether embryos produced by TC or HMC differ because of the NT method or the in vitro culture. Therefore, we investigated the developmental competence and histone acetylation (H3K18ac) of porcine NT embryos produced by TC and HMC with (Day 5 and 6) or without (Day 0) in vitro culture. Nuclear transfer experiments were performed on same day (Day 0), using same batch of porcine oocytes and donor cells and same in vitro culture conditions. Cloning procedures were previously described (TC : Cloning Stem Cells 10 : 355; HMC : Zygote 20 : 61). Parthenogenetically activated embryos (PA) were used as control of activation and culture conditions. Embryos from all groups were collected for immunostaining of H3K18ac on Days 0, 5, and 6. The normalized H3K18ac level was calculated as previously described (Epigenetics 6 : 177). Cell numbers per blastocyst in each group were counted on Days 5 and 6. The cleavage rate (Day 2) and blastocyst rates (Days 5 and 6) between groups were analysed by Chi-squared test, whereas cell number per blastocysts and H3K18ac level between groups and days were analysed by ANOVA (SAS version 9.2; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Cleavage rate of HMC embryos was lower than that of TC embryos, but blastocyst rate and cell number per blastocyst were higher in the HMC group compared with TC (Table 1). Differences of H3K18ac level between HMC, TC, and PA groups were only observed on Day 6 but not on Day 0 or Day 5. Within HMC and TC groups, there was no difference in H3K18ac level between Day 0 and Day 5, but the level was lower on Day 6 compared with Day 5 in the HMC group, whereas the TC group displayed the opposite pattern. In conclusion, NT embryos produced by HMC show higher blastocyst rate and cell number per blastocyst compared with TC embryos. Both in vitro culture and the NT method result in differences of the normalized H3K18ac levels. Further study is needed to investigate putative differences between NT embryos produced by HMC and TC compared to in vivo embryos also after transfer to recipients. Table 1.Cleavage and blastocyst rate, cell numbers, and normalized H3K18ac level for handmade cloning (HMC), traditional cloning (TC), and parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos1


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
G. Singina ◽  
E. Shedova ◽  
T. Taradajnic ◽  
V. Konnova ◽  
E. Tsyndrina

To date, considerable progress has been achieved in in vitro production (IVP) technologies in cattle; however, developmental potentials of oocytes matured in vitro remain low compared with in vivo-matured oocytes. Thus, a better understanding of different aspects of oocyte maturation may allow us to increase the embryo development rate. Our study was aimed to assess the effects of progesterone (P4) and prolactin (PRL) on the bovine oocyte developmental competence. Bovine cumulus-enclosed oocytes (CEO) were matured using either one-step or two-step maturation conditions. For the one-step protocol, CEO were cultured for 24h in TCM-199 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 10μg mL−1 porcine FSH, and 10μg mL−1 ovine LH (standard medium). For the two-step procedure, CEO were first cultured for 16h in the standard medium (n=1263) and then transferred to 1 of 3 experimental media and cultured for additional 8h in either absence or presence of either P4 (50 ng mL−1) or bovine PRL (50ng mL−1). The 3 media tested in the two-step maturation were (1) TCM-199 containing 10% FCS (group 1), (2) TCM-199 containing 3mg mL−1 BSA (group 2), or (3) Fert-TALP medium supplemented with 6mg mL−1 BSA (group 3). Fert-TALP was selected because it can potentially be used throughout maturation and fertilization. Following in vitro maturation, all oocytes underwent an IVF/in vitro culture procedure as described previously (Singina et al. 2014 Reprod. Fertil. Devel. 26, 154). The embryo development was evaluated at Days 2 and 7 for cleavage and blastocyst rates. In addition, obtained blastocysts were fixed, and the total cell number and the level of apoptosis were determined using 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and TUNEL staining. The data from 4 to 5 replicates (113-159 oocytes per treatment) were analysed by ANOVA. For oocytes matured for 24h in the one-step culture, the cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, total cell number, and apoptotic nuclei per blastocyst were 66.1±1.1, 23.7±2.0, 71.4±9.1, and 4.8±1.2%, respectively. For the two-step culture, the cleavage rate did not differ from that of the one-step culture system, ranging from 64.8 to 76.5%. Also, no effects of the two-step systems were observed on total cell number (63.0-78.8) or the proportion of apoptotic nuclei (3.3-5.3%) at the blastocyst stage. The culture of CEO in group 1 (without the supplements) had a reduced blastocyst rate (17.4±0.4%; P&lt;0.05) compared with the standard one-step maturation group, and the addition of P4 (but not PRL) improved the blastocyst yield (P&lt;0.05). Furthermore, when P4 (but not PRL) was added to group 2 and group 3 media, blastocyst rates increased significantly (32.9±3.1 and 32.8±2.7%, respectively) compared with those of the one-step group (P&lt;0.05), but did not differ from those of untreated groups 2 and 3 (26.2±2.7 and 30.0±3.0%, respectively). Our data indicate that P4 supplementation during the terminal phase of two-step IVM can enhance the developmental competence of bovine oocytes and that the nature of this effect depends on the composition of IVM medium, whereas no effect of PRL supplementation was observed. The study was supported by RFBR (No. 17-29-08035).


Zygote ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalantha R. Abeydeera ◽  
Wei-Hua Wang ◽  
Thomas C. Cantley ◽  
Randall S. Prather ◽  
Billy N. Day

The present study examined the effect of different concentrations of cysteine in the presence of a thiol compound, β-mercaptoethanol (BME), during in vitro maturation (IVM) of pig oocytes on cumulus expansion, nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH) level and subsequent embryonic development after in vitro fertilisation (IVF). In experiment 1, oocytes were matured in NCSU 23 medium containing 10% porcine follicular fluid, 25 μM BME, 0.5 μg/ml LH, 0.5 μg/ml FSH and 0, 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg/ml cysteine for 20–22 h and then without hormonal supplements for an additional 20–22 h. After culture, cumulus cells were removed and a proportion of oocytes fixed to examine the rate of nuclear maturation. The remaining oocytes were co-incubated with spermatozoa for 5–6 h and putative zygotes were transferred to NCSU 23 medium containing 0.4% bovine serum albumin for 144 h. A proportion of putative zygotes were fixed 12 h after insemination to examine fertilisation parameters. In experiment 2, oocytes were matured as in experiment 1 and the GSH content was measured by a DTNB-GSSG reductase recycling assay. No mean differences among treatments were observed in nuclear maturation (78–89%). The mean differences in penetration rate (69–77%), polyspermy rate (31–40%), male pronuclear formation rate (93–96%) or mean number of sperm per oocyte (1.5-1.8) were not affected by the presence or absence of cysteine during oocyte maturation. Also no difference was observed in cleavage rates 48 h after insemination. However, compared with no addition (19%), the presence of 0.1-0.4 mg/ml cysteine during IVM increased (p < 0.001) the proportion of blastocysts (32–39%) at 144 h. In comparison with controls (5.6 pmol/oocyte), the GSH content of oocytes matured in the presence of cysteine was significantly (p < 0.001) higher (13–15 pmol/oocyte) with no mean differences among different cysteine concentrations. The results indicate that in the presence of a thiol compound, supplementation of IVM medium with cysteine can increase the GSH level and improve the developmental competence of pig oocytes following fertilisation. Further, no effect on either GSH level or embryo development was observed by increasing the levels of cysteine supplementation from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/ml.


Zygote ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L.S. Guimarães ◽  
S.A. Pereira ◽  
N.R. Kussano ◽  
M.A.N. Dode

SummaryThis study aims to evaluate if a pre-maturation culture (PMC) using cilostamide as a meiotic inhibitor in combination with insulin, transferrin and selenium (ITS) for 8 or 24 h increases in vitro embryo production. To evaluate the effects of PMC on embryo development, cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, embryo size and total cell number were determined. When cilostamide (20 μM) was used in PMC for 8 or 24 h, 98% of oocytes were maintained in germinal vesicles. Although the majority of oocytes resumed meiosis after meiotic arrest, the cleavage and blastocyst rates were lower than the control (P < 0.05). When the cilostamide concentration was lowered (10 μM) and oocytes were arrested for 8 h, embryo development was improved (P < 0.05) and was similar (P > 0.05) to the control. The deleterious effect of 20 μM cilostamide treatment for 24 h on a PMC was confirmed by lower cumulus cell viability, determined by trypan blue staining, in that group compared with the other groups. A lower concentration (10 μM) and shorter exposure time (8 h) minimized that effect but did not improve embryo production. More studies should be performed to determine the best concentration and the arresting period to increase oocyte competence and embryo development.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
C. Kohata ◽  
H. Funahashi

The maturation rate of oocytes derived from small follicles (SF) is known to be lower than that of oocytes from medium follicles (MF). The objective of this study was to assess the fertilizability and developmental competence of mature SF oocytes that were selected by the presence of the first polar body. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were aspirated from SF (1 to 2 mm in diameter) or MF (3 to 6 mm in diameter) of prepuberal ovaries. The COC were cultured in modified porcine oocyte medium supplemented with gonadotropins and dibutyryl cAMP for the first 20-h period and then in gonadotropin-free and dibutyryl cAMP-free porcine oocyte medium for another 24 h. Following IVM culture, mature oocytes with the first polar body were selected under a stereomicroscope, co-incubated with spermatozoa in a drop of modified TCM-199 containing 0.4% BSA and 5 mM caffeine for 6 h, and then incubated in porcine zygote medium-5 for 7 days. Sperm penetration, cleavage, and early development of the oocytes were examined before culture in porcine zygote medium-5 on Days 2 and 7 of culture. To analyse the fertilizability and developmental competence of oocytes from the SF and MF groups, sperm penetration, pronuclear formation, cleavage, blastocyst formation, and mean cell number in a blastocyst (as determined by fluorescence observation following Hoechst 33342 staining) were examined. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with a Bonferroni-Dunn post-hoc test (P < 0.05). The percentages of oocytes in which the first polar body could be observed were 51.0 ± 4.5% and 78.5 ± 2.8% for SF- and MF-oocytes, respectively, whereas the maturation rates were 83.8 ± 4.0% and 62.8 ± 4.4% following fixation and staining. When only mature oocytes were co-cultured with sperm for 6 and 9 h, sperm penetration, monospermic penetration, and pronuclear formation were not different (P > 0.33) between mature SF- and MF-oocytes. Although there was no difference in cleavage rates between the mature SF- and MF-oocyte groups, blastocyst formation rate and mean cell number in the blastocyst were higher in mature MF-oocytes (31.0 ± 3.6% and 38.7 ± 1.9 cells, respectively) than in mature SF-oocytes (14.7 ± 3.2% and 31.2 ± 2.0 cells). From these results, we conclude that mature oocytes derived from SF have a similar fertilizability when compared with mature MF-oocytes, but the developmental competence to the blastocyst stage following IVF is significantly lower in mature SF-oocytes than in mature MF-oocytes.


Author(s):  
Sonia B. Umdor ◽  
M. Karunakaran ◽  
D.K. Mandal ◽  
A. Santra ◽  
Subrata K. Das

Background: In vitro embryo production is a valuable tool for understanding early mammalian development, therapeutic applications, excellent source for research in the field of developmental biology and production of valuable animals. The purpose of this study is to improve the production of in vitro cattle embryos using fibroblast and platelet derived growth factor as media supplement. Methods: Ovaries were collected from local abattoir in 0.9% saline (30-35°C) supplemented with antibiotics. Cumulus oocyte complexes were aspirated, washed 5-6 times and placed in maturation media supplemented with growth factors and cultured in 5% CO2 incubator at 38.5°C with maximum humidity. After 24 h oocytes were co-incubated with in vitro capacitated sperms for fertilization for 15-18 h and then presumptive zygotes were cultured for embryo development. Cleavage was observed after 40-42 h and embryos were co-cultured with oviductal cells for 7-9 days. Result: The highest cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were 55.93 ± 4.75, 57.06 ± 4.78, 51.24 ± 4.12 and 3.26 ±1.53, 2.42 ± 1.02, 2.70 ± 1.17 in FGF (1ng ml-1), PDGF (10 ng ml-1) and in combination of FGF and PDGF (1ng ml-1 each) respectively. It can be concluded that PDGF (10 ng ml-1) enhanced cleavage rate and FGF (1ng ml-1) enhanced blastocyst formation rate.


Zygote ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-45
Author(s):  
Jaqueline Sudiman ◽  
Alice Lee ◽  
Kheng Ling Ong ◽  
Wu Zi Yuan ◽  
Sarah Jansen ◽  
...  

SummaryMouse and lamb oocytes were vitrified with, or exposed to, different cryoprotectants and evaluated for their effects on their survival and developmental competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and activation treatments. Control oocytes remained untreated, whilst the remainder were exposed to three different combinations of vitrification solutions [dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + ethylene glycol (EG), EG only, or propanediol (PROH) + EG] and either vitrified or left unfrozen (exposed groups). Oocytes in the control and vitrified groups underwent IVF and developmental competence was assessed to the blastocyst stage. In lambs, survival rate in vitrified oocytes was significantly lower than for oocytes in the exposed groups (P <0.05). Blastocyst development was low in vitrified oocytes compared with controls (<6% vs 38.9%, P <0.01). Parthenogenetic activation was more prevalent in vitrified lamb oocytes compared with controls (P <0.05). No evidence of zona pellucida hardening or cortical granule exocytosis could account for reduced fertilization rates in vitrified lamb oocytes. Mouse oocytes demonstrated a completely different response to lamb oocytes, with survival and parthenogenetic activation rates unaffected by the vitrification process. Treatment of mouse oocytes with DMSO + EG yielded significantly higher survival and cleavage rates than treatment with PROH + EG (87.8% and 51.7% vs 32.7% and 16.7% respectively, P <0.01), however cleavage rate for vitrified oocytes remained lower than for the controls (51.7% vs 91.7%, P <0.01) as did mean blastocyst cell number (33 ± 3.1 vs 42 ± 1.5, P <0.05). From this study, it is clear that lamb and mouse show different tolerances to cryoprotectants commonly used in vitrification procedures, and careful selection and testing of species-compatible cryoprotectants is required when vitrifying oocytes to optimize survival and embryo development.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Y. Jeon ◽  
S.-S. Kwak ◽  
S.-A. Jeong ◽  
R. Salehi ◽  
Y. H. Seong ◽  
...  

Trans-ε-viniferin is a naturally occurring polyphenol belonging to the stilbenoids family. Trans-ε-viniferin is isolated from Vitis amurensis, 1 of the most common wild grapes in Korea, Japan and China. We investigated the effects of trans-ε-viniferin on in vitro maturation (IVM) and developmental competence after IVF or parthenogenesis (PA). At the laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, trans-ε-viniferin was purified from the leaves and stems of Vitis amurensis. Data were analyzed with SPSS 17.0 using Duncan's multiple range test. First, in total, 594 cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were used for the evaluation of nuclear maturation. The COC were matured in TCM-199 medium supplemented with various concentrations of trans-ε-viniferin (0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 μM) with 10% porcine follicular fluid, 10 IU mL–1 of eCG and 10 IU mL–1 of hCG. After 22 h in maturation culture, the COC were cultured in hormone-free medium supplemented with various concentrations of trans-ε-viniferin for an additional 22 h and then nuclear maturation was evaluated. Second, in total, 300 matured oocytes were used to examine the effects of different trans-ε-viniferin concentrations (0, 0.5 and 5.0 μM) on porcine oocyte intracellular glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Lastly, the developmental competence of oocytes matured with different concentrations of trans-ε-viniferin (0, 0.5 and 5.0 μM) was evaluated after IVF or PA. In total, 711 embryos were evaluated. As results, we observed that trans-ε-viniferin treatment during IVM did not improve the nuclear maturation of oocytes in any group (84.2, 86.6, 85.5, 83.3 and 79.2%, respectively), but significantly increased (P < 0.05) intracellular GSH levels in the 0.5 μM group (0 μM vs 0.5 μM; 14.6 vs 16.8 pmol oocyte–1) and reduced ROS levels (0 μM vs 0.5 μM and 50 μM; 174.6 vs 25.7 and 23.8 pixel oocyte–1). Oocytes treated with trans-ε-viniferin during IVM did not have significantly different cleavage rates or blastocyst formation rates after IVF, but total cell numbers were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.5 and 5.0 μM treatment groups (53.6 ± 4.0 and 47.9 ± 3.1) compared to the control group (36.4 ± 2.2). The PA embryos showed similar results; there were no significant differences in cleavage rates and blastocyst formation rates, but the total cell number significantly increased in the 0.5 and 5.0 μM treatment groups (59.6 ± 4.2 and 60.8 ± 4.6) compared to the control group (43.1 ± 2.1). In conclusion, these results indicate that trans-ε-viniferin treatment during porcine IVM increased total cell number of blastocysts, possibly through increasing intracellular GSH synthesis and reducing ROS levels. This work was supported by a grant from the Korea institute of Planning & Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, Republic of Korea.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyu-Mi Park ◽  
Jae Woong Wang ◽  
Yeong-Min Yoo ◽  
Ji Eun Jang ◽  
Myeong Jun Choi ◽  
...  

AbstractPhytosphingosine-1-Phosphate (P1P) is a signaling sphingolipid regulating various physiological activities. Yet, little is known of the effect of P1P in the context of reproduction. As such, we aimed to investigate the influence of P1P on oocyte maturation during porcine in vitro maturation (IVM). Here we report the expression of S1PR1-3 among P1P receptors (S1PR1-4) in cumulus cells and oocytes. When P1P was treated by concentrations 10 nM, 50 nM, 100 nM, and 1000 nM during IVM, Metaphase II rate was significantly increased in 1000 nM (=1 μM) P1P treatment group. Maturation rate improvement by P1P supplementation was only observed in the presence of EGF. Oocytes under the influence of P1P decreased intracellular ROS levels yet did not show significant differences in GSH levels. In our molecular studies, P1P treatment up-regulated gene expressions involved in cumulus expansion (Has2 and EGF), antioxidant enzyme (SOD3 and Cat), and developmental competence (Oct4) while activating ERK1/2 and Akt signaling. P1P treatment also influenced oocyte survival by shifting the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax, while inactivating JNK signaling. We further demonstrated that oocytes matured with P1P significantly displayed not only higher developmental competence (cleavage and blastocyst formation rate), but also greater blastocyst quality (total cell number and the ratio of apoptotic cells) when activated via parthenogenetic activation (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Despite low levels of endogenous P1P found in animals, exogenous P1P was able to influence animal reproduction as shown by increased porcine oocyte maturation as well as preimplantation embryo development.


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