N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine enhances in vitro pig embryo production and reduces oxidative stress

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of different concentrations (1, 10, 25, 50, and 100 µM) of the antioxidant N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (NMPG), during the culture of in vitro-fertilized porcine oocytes. While the highest concentrations of NMPG (50 and 100 µM) were toxic to the developing embryos during the first two days of culture, 25 µM NMPG achieved cleavage rates that were similar to those achieved by the control but did not sustain blastocyst production by Day 7 of culture. Compared to the control culture medium, the culture medium supplemented with 10 µM NMPG increased (P < 0.05) the rates of blastocyst formation, decreased (P < 0.05) the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen substances, and downregulated (P < 0.05) the expression of the oxidative stress related gene GPX1. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that supplementation of porcine embryo culture medium with 10 µM NMPG can attenuate oxidative stress and increase the yield of in vitro production of blastocysts.

Transwell Culture with Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells and Fertilized Eggs Mimics the In Vivo Development of Fertilized Eggs to Blastocysts in the Fallopian Tube: An Animal Study

“…The addition of antioxidants activates the development of embryos during the preimplantation process. Many studies have shown that the development of blastocysts from fertilized eggs, as well as the preimplantation of blastocytes, can be improved by the addition of antioxidant substances to the culture medium of fertilized eggs [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Recent studies have indicated that mesenchymal stem cells possess antioxidant properties against biological events [ 14 ].…”

Comparison of Anti-Oxidative Effect of Human Adipose- and Amniotic Membrane-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conditioned Medium on Mouse Preimplantation Embryo Development

“…Accordingly, the application of antioxidants to ART can be an effective intervention to counteract the oxidative damage in in vitro-produced embryos [ 7 ], especially to improve the in vitro culture (IVC) medium for favorable outcomes in preimplantation embryo development. Accumulating studies have indicated that the addition of antioxidants to IVC medium improves preimplantation embryo development by regulating the embryonic environment and protecting embryos from oxidative damage [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], which leads to the decrease in developmental competence of embryos produced in vitro compared to that of embryos developed in vivo [ 12 ].…”