Abstract
Follicular atresia is one of the main factors limiting the reproductive power of domestic animals. At present, the molecular mechanisms involved in porcine follicular atresia at the metabolic level remain unclear. In this study, we divided the follicles of Bama Xiang pigs into healthy follicles (HFs) and atretic follicles (AFs) based on the follicle morphology. The expression of genes related to atresia in granulosa cells (GCs) and the concentration of hormones in the follicular fluid (FF) from HFs and AFs were detected. We then used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based non-targeted metabolomic approach to analyze the metabolites in the FF from HFs and AFs. The results showed that the content of estradiol was significantly lower in AFs than in HFs, whereas that of progesterone was significantly higher in AFs than that in HFs. The expression of BCL2, VEGFA, and CYP19A1 was significantly higher in HFs than in AFs. In contrast, the expression of BAX and CASPASE3 was significantly lower in HFs. A total of 18 differential metabolites (DMs) were identified, including phospholipids, bioactive substances, and amino acids. The DMs were involved in 12 metabolic pathways, including arginine biosynthesis and primary bile acid biosynthesis. The levels of eight DMs were higher in the HF group than those in the AF group (p < 0.01), and those of 10 DMs were higher in the AF group than those in the HF group (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that the metabolic characteristics of porcine AFs are lower levels of lipids such as phospholipids and higher levels of amino acids and bile acids than those in HFs. Disorders of amino acid metabolism and cholic acid metabolism may contribute to porcine follicular atresia.
Highlights
Reproductive ability, which is a base index, typically refers to productivity in the porcine industry
We identified one healthy follicles (HFs) and one atretic follicles (AFs) from the same ovary
The cumulus–oocyte complex (COC), granulosa cells (GCs), and follicular fluid (FF) were noticeably different between HFs and AFs
Summary
Reproductive ability, which is a base index, typically refers to productivity in the porcine industry. The number of follicles is an index that determines the reproductive ability of female animals, especially polyembryonic animals. When more than 90% of the follicles degenerate before ovulation, the condition is termed follicular atresia [1]. It is well-known that follicular cells include oocytes and follicular fluid (FF) and granulosa cells (GCs). Because of the transfer of plasma and the secretion of follicle cells, the FF component is highly complex. The concentration of FF components may be inconsistent in diverse follicular cell types, especially between atretic follicles (AFs) and healthy follicles (HFs). The consistency of these indices in Bama Xiang pigs is unknown
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