Abstract
ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the ultrastructural morphometry of bovine embryos produced in vitro grown at different concentrations of antioxidants. After in vitro maturation and fertilization, the presumptive zygotes were assigned into five treatments. T1) without the addition of any antioxidants (negative control); T2) addition of 50μM/mL cysteamine; and T3, T4 and T5) adding 2.5μg/mL, 5.0μg/mL or 10.0μg/mL of the antioxidants derived from the oily extract from Lippia origanoides, respectively. On D7 of culture, the embryos in the blastocyst stage were fixed and prepared for electron transmission microscopy. These were evaluated for the proportion of cytoplasm-to-nucleus, cytoplasm-to-mitochondria, cytoplasm-to-vacuoles, cytoplasm-to-autophagic vacuoles and cytoplasm-to-lipid droplets. Blastocysts cultured in media containing oily extract of Lippia origanoides presented morphological characteristics such as high cell:mitochondria ratio and low cell:vacuoles and cell:autophagic vacuole ratio, possibly been morphological indicators of embryonic quality. Inner cell mass (ICM) from blastocysts cultured in media without any antioxidants had the highest cell:vacuole ratio. Similar results were found in the trophectoderm (TE) cells of blastocysts from treatment 2. Embryo culture media supplemented with antioxidants derived from Lippia origanoides oil produced embryos with a higher cytoplasmic proportion of organelles, such as mitochondria. Also, treatments without any antioxidants or with the addition of cysteamine presented cytoplasmic vacuolization, a characteristic related to production of poor-quality embryos.
Highlights
In vitro embryo production (IVEP) is a wellknown and widespread biotechnology in human and animal reproduction
The oily extract of the Lippia origanoides, a native plant from South America, had been initially used due to therapeutical properties (Pascual et al, 2001), and as an alternative antioxidant to be added to maturation of oocytes (Pereira, 2015) and in vitro culture media (Sollecito et al, 2019) of bovine embryos, since a study with buffalo showed greater number of blastocysts cells after oocytes been cultivated in maturation media added with oily extract of Lippia origanoides (Pereira, 2015)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrastructural morphology of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro in media supplemented with different antioxidants
Summary
In vitro embryo production (IVEP) is a wellknown and widespread biotechnology in human and animal reproduction. Embryonic culture occurs under conditions where antioxidant supplementation is in lower concentration than the necessary required to control ROS production, trigging oxidative stress to different cell types (Elamaran et al, 2012). The addition antioxidant supplementation in culture media has been the alternative way to mitigate cell damage caused by the oxidative stress in in vitro embryo production systems. The oily extract of the Lippia origanoides, a native plant from South America, had been initially used due to therapeutical properties (Pascual et al, 2001), and as an alternative antioxidant to be added to maturation of oocytes (Pereira, 2015) and in vitro culture media (Sollecito et al, 2019) of bovine embryos, since a study with buffalo showed greater number of blastocysts cells after oocytes been cultivated in maturation media added with oily extract of Lippia origanoides (Pereira, 2015). The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrastructural morphology of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro in media supplemented with different antioxidants
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
