Effect of conditioned medium of mesenchymal stem cells on the in vitro maturation and subsequent development of mouse oocyte

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors in addition to self-renewal and multiple forms of differentiation. Some of these secreted bioactive factors could improve meiotic maturation in vitro and subsequent embryo developmental potential. The aim of the present study was to determine whether in vitro maturation (IVM) of mouse oocyte with or without cumulus cells could be improved by contact with conditioned medium (CM) of MSCs as well as the efficiency of CM to support follicular growth and oocyte maturation in the ovarian organ of mice cultured on soft agar. The developmental potential of matured oocyte was assessed by blastocyst formation after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Germinal vesicle stage oocytes with or without cumulus cells were subjected to IVM in either CM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), α-minimum essential medium (α-MEM) or human tubal fluid (HTF). Approximately 120 oocytes were studied for each medium. CM produced a higher maturation rate (91.2%) than DMEM (54.7%), α-MEM (63.5%) and HTF (27.1%). Moreover, CM improved embryo development to blastocyst stage significantly more than DMEM and HTF (85 vs 7% and 41.7%, respectively) but there was no significant difference compared with α-MEM (85 vs 80.3%). The behavior of cortical granules of IVM oocytes cultured in CM revealed cytoplasmic maturation. Moreover, CM also supported preantral follicles growth well in organotypic culture on soft agar resulting in the maturation of 60% of them to developmentally competent oocytes. The production of estrogen progressively increased approximately 1-fold every other day during organ culture, while a dramatic 10-fold increase in progesterone was observed 17 h after human chorionic gonadotropin stimulus at the end of culture. Thus, CM is an effective medium for preantral follicle growth, oocyte maturation, and sequential embryo development.

Effects of the conditioned medium of mesenchymal stem cells on mouse oocyte activation and development

“…We have demonstrated the trophic effects of these bioactive factors in supporting follicular growth and in vitro maturation of mouse oocytes (3). However, to our surprise, some MII oocytes cocultured with MSCs were activated, with the occurrence of cleavage, though none of these oocytes developed further in this culture.…”

The Therapeutic Potential of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Mice Premature Ovarian Failure

“…Although we found that human UCMSCs successfully recover mouse ovary function, we did not find that the cells differentiate into follicle components. Previous studies have shown that ES-conditioned media can improve oocyte maturation in vitro [33]. The UCMSCs are more likely to function through the paracrine pathway.…”

Effect of various co-culture systems on embryo development in ovine

“…The MSCs can release several trophic factors including cytokines and growth factors (Orsi and Reischl, 2007;Park et al, 2010). The trophic effects of these bioactive factors in supporting follicular growth and in vitro maturation of mouse oocytes have been shown (Ling et al, 2008). Moreover, there is difference between various types of stem cells in support of embryo development.…”

“…Besides their multipotent potential, adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors, such as MCP-1, VEGF-A, EGF, FGF-2, IL-6, LIF, or TGF-ß (Park et al, 2010;Tian et al, 2011). Some of these secreted bioactive materials could improve meiotic maturation in vitro and the subsequent embryo development (Ling et al, 2008).…”