Use of natural antioxidants in in vitro mammalian embryo production

Abstract

In vitro embryo production (IVEP) contributes to the quantitative and qualitative aspects of animal reproduction. Nevertheless, inherent technical factors such as oxidative stress can negatively influence the result and this can impair cell metabolism, thus decreasing the rates of in vitro development, and necessitating the supplementation of culture medium with antioxidants. In this context, compounds of natural origin with this property have been highlighted because of the positive results obtained at different stages of IVEP. Thus, this review aims to present the results obtained by using natural antioxidants to minimize the effects of oxidative stress on gametes and embryos. A variety of natural isolated substances and mixtures (essential oils and extracts) have been studied for supplementation of IVEP media, at stages of in vitro maturation, sperm capacitation, in vitro fertilization, and in vitro development of embryos in different mammalian species. Generally, beneficial effects are observed according to the concentration used, thus demonstrating the potential of several natural antioxidants. Therefore, the main challenges in using these compounds as antioxidants during IVEP include proving their efficiency against free radicals and determining the best concentration at each stage. In addition, understanding the mechanisms of action of such antioxidants is crucial to establishing their use in IVEP biotechnology. Key words: Culture medium. Natural bioactive. Oxidative stress. Reproduction. ResumoA produção in vitro de embriões (PIVE) contribui para os aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos da reprodução animal. Contudo, fatores inerentes da técnica, como o estresse oxidativo, podem influenciar negativamente o resultado e isso pode prejudicar o metabolismo celular, diminuindo assim as taxas de desenvolvimento in vitro, e exigindo a suplementação do meio de cultivo com antioxidantes. Neste contexto, os compostos de origem natural com essa propriedade têm se destacado devido aos resultados positivos obtidos em diferentes estágios da PIVE. Assim, esta revisão pretende apresentar os resultados obtidos usando antioxidantes naturais para minimizar os efeitos do estresse oxidativo em gametas e embriões. Uma variedade de substâncias isoladas e de misturas naturais (óleos essenciais e extratos) tem sido estudada para a suplementação de meios de PIVE, nas etapas de maturação in vitro, capacitação espermática, fecundação in vitro e desenvolvimento in vitro de embriões em diferentes espécies de mamíferos. Geralmente, os efeitos benéficos são observados de acordo com a concentração utilizada,

Evaluation of the damage caused by in vitro culture and cryopreservation to dermal fibroblasts derived from jaguars: An approach to conservation through biobanks

“…In cryopreserved fibroblasts derived from jaguar, we observed an increase in the ROS levels. ROS are characterized as a set of molecules and free radicals produced during the oxygen metabolism of an organism (Santos et al, 2018). Since these species carry unpaired electrons, they are highly unstable and reactive.…”

Implications of cryopreservation on structural and functional attributes of bovine spermatozoa: An overview

“…Further, the high content of antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins, organic acids, pollen grains and honey protects bull semen (El‐Sheshtawy et al., 2014; El‐Sheshtawy et al., 2014). Some plant extracts (El‐Sheshtawy & El‐Nattat, 2017; Uysal & Bucak, 2007; Zhao et al., 2009) and olive oil (Krishnappa et al., 2018) have antioxidant and medicinal properties that suppress lipid peroxidation and have been used in semen extenders to boost the quality of mammalian spermatozoa post‐thawing (Santos et al., 2018). Supplementation of aqueous leaf extract of Moringa oleifera in extender has a profound effect due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties improving semen quality in Murrah bulls (Patoliya, 2019).…”

Antioxidant effects of the essential oil ofSyzygium aromaticumon bovine epididymal spermatozoa

“…Several natural substances have been studied for antioxidant treatment of bovine spermatozoa (Santos, Borges, Queiroz Neta, Bertini, & Pereira, ), both as isolated substances (Sapanidou et al, ; Tvrdá, Kováčik, Tušimová, Massányi, & Lukáč, ; Tvrdá et al, ) and as essential oils and extracts (Sapanidou et al, ). Despite the positive results already reported, there is still no specific antioxidant for spermatozoa being used in assisted reproduction techniques and the results still need to be improved (Santos et al, ).…”

“…In general, organic compounds such as essential oils and plant extracts have been reported to have medicinal properties such as antioxidant effects (Santos et al, ). Beneficial influences of the hexanoic and ethanolic extracts of Syzygium aromaticum on spermatozoa were reported in murine (Mishra & Singh, ) and ovine species (Baghshahi, Riasi, Mahdavi, & Shirazi, ) respectively.…”