Coenzyme Q10 supplementation during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes (Bos taurus) helps to preserve oocyte integrity after vitrification.

Abstract

Oocyte vitrification causes less cell stress than slow cooling, but cytoskeletal and spindle alterations may occur affecting the oocyte competence. In vitro maturation (IVM) supplementation with different antioxidant molecules has been performed to attenuate this harmful stress. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 ) supplementation has previously shown to have positive effects in bovine and mouse in vitro embryo development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of CoQ10 during bovine oocyte IVM and vitrification. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) (n=311) were cultured under standard maturation conditions with 0μM (control), 25μM and 50μM CoQ10 supplementation. After 22hr, a cohort of 170 oocytes both from the control and from CoQ10 -supplemented groups were vitrified, warmed and returned to incubation until 24hr of maturation, while the rest of the oocytes (n=141) remained fresh. Then, oocyte survival was assessed morphologically by stereomicroscopy. Oocytes from all groups were then fixed and stained for assessing cortical granules (CG) migration and nuclear stage. High rates of oocyte MII progression and appropriate CG migration as a continuous layer beneath the plasma membrane were obtained both in control and in CoQ10 groups. Results showed that although vitrification has great impact in survival of IVM bovine oocytes, 50μM CoQ10 supplementation significantly improved oocyte survival (p=.045) and reduced the premature CG exocytosis, helping to preserve the CG migration pattern (31.3% control vs. 54.5% in 50μM CoQ10 ; p=.039), attenuating the negative effects of vitrification.