Abstract
Citrinin is one of the mycotoxins and has been shown to have various toxic effects in animals and humans. Although previous study showed the toxic effects of citrinin on the female reproductive system, especially on oocyte maturation, however, the causes or mechanism of citrinin on oocyte quality is unclear. In present study we deeply investigated this topic. We found thatcitrinin toxin exposure inhibited mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development. Further investigation showed that the actin distribution in oocytes and embryos was disrupted, and the reduced expression of actin nucleator ARP2 expression in the oocyte cortex further confirmed this. We also found that meiotic spindle morphology was abnormal after citrinin treatment. These results indicated that citrinin toxin exposure could disrupt cytoskeleton dynamics to affect oocyte maturation and early embryo development. We also examined the ROS level and early apoptosis marker Annexin signals, and the results showed that both levels increased, indicating that citrinin induced oxidative stress and further resulted in oocyte early apoptosis. Taken together, our results indicated that citrinin toxin exposure could reduce mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development capability by affecting cytoskeletal dynamics, which may be due to the oxidative stress induced early apoptosis.
Highlights
Citrinin toxin is one of the mycotoxins that are secondary metabolite produced by fungi, such as Penicillium citrinum, the Monascus species and the Aspergillus species
Our results indicated that citrinin toxin exposure could reduce mouse oocyte maturation and early embryo development capability by affecting cytoskeletal dynamics, which may be due to the oxidative stress induced early apoptosis
Due to the facts that citrinin toxin was shown to have the toxic effects on the reproductive systems of mammals, especially in mouse oocyte and embryos, in present study, we investigated the toxic effects of citrinin on spindle formation and actin distribution during oocyte and early embryo development
Summary
Citrinin toxin is one of the mycotoxins that are secondary metabolite produced by fungi, such as Penicillium citrinum, the Monascus species and the Aspergillus species. Actin filaments were the main power to push the meiotic spindle to the cortex of the oocytes to ensure the asymmetric cell division, which generated the polar body to retain most maternal components in the egg for the early embryo development. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were all have reverse effects on oocyte maturation and early embryo development. Due to the facts that citrinin toxin was shown to have the toxic effects on the reproductive systems of mammals, especially in mouse oocyte and embryos, in present study, we investigated the toxic effects of citrinin on spindle formation and actin distribution during oocyte and early embryo development. Our findings will provide the possible causes or the mechanism of the toxic effects of citrinin toxin on oocyte and embryos from subcellular structure and cellular process aspects
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