Abstract
ABSTRACT We aimed to assess the effects of melatonin in the in vitro production of bovine embryos. Our experiment was conducted at the Laboratório de Reprodução Animal of the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. The cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were distributed among treatments at concentrations of 0, 10-1, 10-3 and 10-5 µMol/L melatonin. Our experiment was further divided into two: the first was to assess the effect of different concentrations of melatonin (treatments) on the maturation rate of COCs, and the second was to assess the effects of melatonin treatments on the in vitro production of bovine embryos. The results from the first experiment demonstrated no significant difference between the in vitro maturation rate of the cultivated COCs in treatments with melatonin. In the second experiment, however, melatonin treatments yielded statistically higher cleavage, morula and blastocyst rates in the 10-5 µM group (52.9%, 52.9%, and 35.3%, respectively), and lower rates in the 10-1 µM group (19.5%, 19.5% and 7.8%, respectively), compared to the others. The control group (no melatonin) and the 10-3 µM group showed similar results. We concluded that supplementation of melatonin in the in vitro maturation medium resulted in no improvement in the oocyte maturation rate, but in the in vitro production of embryos at different concentrations, the 10-5 µM group displayed better results, but with no improvement in the variables (P < 0.05).
Highlights
Biotechnologies are a set of techniques implemented to manipulate organisms and/or their components, associated with molecular biology, cloning and genetic engineering (Wetherington, 2010)
In vitro production (IVP) is a biotechnology that consists in recovering immature oocytes from ovarian follicles, allowing for the intensification of use of animals with high genetic value (Merton et al, 2003)
Our experiment was divided in two phases: the first assessed the effects of distinct melatonin concentrations on the maturation rate of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and the second assessed the effects of melatonin treatments on the in vitro production of bovine embryos
Summary
Biotechnologies are a set of techniques implemented to manipulate organisms and/or their components, associated with molecular biology, cloning and genetic engineering (Wetherington, 2010). Melatonin is a product of the pineal gland, acting as a potent antioxidant and eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS), altogether avoiding oxidative stress during fetal development. It plays other roles, such as modulating the ovarian function in mammals (Tsantarliotou et al, 2007). In this way, it can effectively alleviate aging in in vitro-produced oocytes provoked by oxidative stress, delaying the beginning of apoptosis and avoiding cell fragmentation (Lord et al, 2013)
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