Insulin–transferrin–selenium (ITS) improves maturation of porcine oocytes in vitro

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine if insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS) promoted a nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes that better supports subsequent embryonic development. The rate of oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) in an experimental group treated with hormones for 42 h was significantly increased compared with that in a control group without hormone treatment (47.8% vs. 11.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). Following reduction of the hormone treatment period from 42 h to 21 h, which included both the first 21 h period of hormones treatment (45.4%) and the second 21 h period of hormone treatment (44.8%), the rate of oocyte IVM was still higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). To improve porcine oocyte nuclear maturation, 1% ITS was added to medium supplemented with hormones. The rate of nuclear maturation in the ITS-treated group was significantly higher than in the ITS-untreated group (78.6% vs. 54.4%, respectively, p < 0.05). ITS treatment also significantly reduced the per cent of oocytes with type I and type III cortical granule (CG) distribution, respectively, and significantly increased the per cent of oocytes with type II CG distribution (85.3%). These observations indicated that the synchronization rates of nuclear and ooplasmic maturation reached 67.04% (78.56 × 85.33%). In conclusion, the combination of modified Tissue Culture Medium-199 (mM199) + 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF) + 10 IU/ml pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) + 10 IU/ml human chorion gonadotrophin (hCG) + 2.5 IU/ml follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) + 1% ITS is suitable for culturing porcine oocytes in vitro, and effectively enhances porcine oocyte nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation.

Serum and follicular fluid ghrelin levels negatively reflect human oocyte quality and in vitro embryo development

“…This supported the paradigm that insulin facilitates cellular glucose uptake, which may stimulate proliferation. Taken together with data demonstrating that insulin increases in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes and formation of blastocysts (31,32), our evidence strengthens the claim that insulin is a vital growth stimulus and is important in normal embryo development.…”

Porcine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Require LIF and Maintain Their Developmental Potential in Early Stage of Embryos

“…Hochedlinger et al reported that the development of reconstructed oocytes into blastocysts was particularly sensitive to the cell-cycle stage and physical condition of the transferred nuclei [41]. In previous studies, we also found that oocyte nuclear modifications and cytoplasmic maturation underwent dramatic alterations during in vitro maturation (around 42 h) that affected subsequent embryo development [42]. The studies of the cell cycle profile of mouse iPS cells cultured with LIF showed that LIF-induced DNA synthesis caused the high percentage of iPS cells in S and G2 phases [43].…”

Effect of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone as an Antioxidant on <i>In Vitro</i> Maturation of Oocytes and Development of Parthenogenetic Embryos in Pigs

“…After culturing COCs in maturation media supplemented with 7,8-DHF, although there were no significant differences in PB extrusion, the cytoplasmic maturation was increased in 1 μM-treated group compared with the other groups. Nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation are normally coordinated, but some processes of cytoplasmic maturation related to successful preimplantation development probably occur without coordination with nuclear maturation [41], and cytoplasmic quality in IVM oocytes plays a major role in the reconstruction of embryonic development [42]. Moreover, the level of GSH was significantly increased and that of ROS was decreased in the group treated with 1 μM 7,8-DHF, and it is supposed that intracellular redox metabolism [43] was effectively regulated in that group.…”