• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제32권7호
• /
• pp.956-965
• /
• 2019

Objective: The main goal of this study was to provide a morphological indicator that could be used to select high-quality oocytes of appropriate meiotic and developmental capabilities in pig. The higher quality of immature oocytes, the higher success rates of in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Thus, prior to the IVM culture, it is important to characterize oocytes morphologically and biochemically in order to assess their quality. Two of the largest indicators of oocyte quality are the presence of cumulus cells and status of chromatin. To investigate the effects of porcine oocyte chromatin configurations on the developmental capacity of blastocysts, we assessed oocyte chromatin status according to follicle size and measured the developmental potency of blastocysts. Methods: To sort by follicle size, we divided the oocytes into three groups (less than 1 mm, 1 to 3 mm, and more than 3 mm in diameter). To assess chromatin configuration, the oocytes were assessed for their stages (surrounded nucleolus [SN] germinal vesicle [GV], non-surrounded nucleolus [NSN] GV, GV breakdown, metaphase I [MI], pro-metaphase II [proMII], and metaphase II [MII]) at different maturation times (22, 44, and 66 h). To assess the development rate, oocytes of each follicle size were subjected to parthenogenetic activation for further development. Finally, GV oocytes were grouped by their chromatin configuration (SN, SN/NSN, and NSN) and their global transcriptional levels were measured. Results: SN GV oocytes were more suitable for IVF than NSN GV oocytes. Moreover, oocytes collected from the larger follicles had a greater distribution of SN GV oocytes and a higher developmental capacity during IVM, reaching MII more quickly and developing more often to blastocysts. Conclusion: Porcine oocytes with high-level meiotic and developmental capacity were identified by analyzing the relationship between follicle size and chromatin configuration. The porcine oocytes from large follicles had a significantly higher SN status in which the transcription level was low and could be better in the degree of meiotic progression and developmental capacity.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제18권3호
• /
• pp.269-274
• /
• 2003

본 연구는 미성숙 돼지난자가 체외성숙$.$배양액인 TCM-199과 NCSU-23배지에서의 배양상태를 비교하였고, 체외성숙용 TCM-199배지에 Earle'ssalt와 Hank's salt의 첨가에 의한 세포분화와 배발달 상태를 각각 조사하였다. 1. TCM-199와 NCSU-23 배양액에 각각의 supplement를 첨가하여 5% $CO_2$조건하에서 체외성숙을 유기한 결과, TCM-199 배양액에서 유의성(p<0.05)이 검증되었다. 2. 체외성숙용 TCM-199배지의 Earle's salt와 Hank's salt의 조성 성분에 따른 미성숙 돼지난포란의 배발달률은 Earle's가 Hank's보다 약간 높았으나 유의적인 차이는 나타나지 않았다. 3. 총1,455개의 미성숙 난포란 중에서 999(68.6%)개가 세포분화를 나타내었고, 그중 blastocyst의 62개(6.2%)를 포함한 617개(61.8%)의 mo-rulae와 blastocyst의 배발달을 보였다.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• 제24권2호
• /
• pp.24.1-24.13
• /
• 2023

Background: Ergothioneine (EGT) is a natural amino acid derivative in various animal organs and is a bioactive compound recognized as a food and medicine. Objectives: This study examined the effects of EGT supplementation during the in vitro maturation (IVM) period on porcine oocyte maturation and subsequent embryonic development competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF). Methods: Each EGT concentration (0, 10, 50, and 100 μM) was supplemented in the maturation medium during IVM. After IVM, nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels of oocytes were investigated. In addition, the genes related to cumulus function and antioxidant pathways in oocytes or cumulus cells were investigated. Finally, this study examined whether EGT could affect embryonic development after IVF. Results: After IVM, the EGT supplementation group showed significantly higher intracellular GSH levels and significantly lower intracellular ROS levels than the control group. Moreover, the expression levels of hyaluronan synthase 2 and Connexin 43 were significantly higher in the 10 μM EGT group than in the control group. The expression levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) were significantly higher in the oocytes of the 10 μM EGT group than in the control group. In the assessment of subsequent embryonic development after IVF, the 10 μM EGT treatment group improved the cleavage and blastocyst rate significantly than the control group. Conclusions: Supplementation of EGT improved oocyte maturation and embryonic development by reducing oxidative stress in IVM oocytes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제20권3호
• /
• pp.334-339
• /
• 2007

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generate during electrical activation of oocytes which has detrimental effects on embryo survival when overwhelmed. The present study was designed to investigate the ability of L-ascorbic acid, a novel water soluble antioxidant, to reduce the ROS level in developing embryos and their subsequent effects on embryo development in vitro. The compact cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in tissue culture medium (TCM)-199 supplemented with 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor, 4 IU/ml pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and 10% (v/v) porcine follicular fluid (pFF) for 44 h. After maturation culture, the denuded oocytes were activated with a single DC pulse of 2.0 kV/cm in 0.3 M mannitol solution containing 0.5 mM of HEPES, 0.1 mM of $CaCl_2$ and 0.1 mM of $MgCl_2$ for $30{\mu}s$ using a BTX Electro-cell Manipulator. The activated oocytes were cultured in modified North Carolina State University-23 (mNSCU-23) medium for 168 h. The level of $H_2O_2$ in each embryo was measured by the dichlorohydrofluorescein diacetate (DCHFDA) method at 48 h after activation. The blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher when culture medium was supplemented with 50 and $100{\mu}M$ L-ascorbic acid (31.2 and 38.7%, respectively) compared to non-supplemented (16.1%) group. Accordingly, significantly more cells in blastocyst were found for 50 and $100{\mu}M$ L-ascorbic acid (50.0 and 56.4, respectively) compared to 0 and $200{\mu}M$ L-ascorbic acid (36.5 and 39.8, respectively). L-ascorbic acid reduces the $H_2O_2$ level in developing embryos in a dose-dependant manner. The $H_2O_2$ level (pixels/ embryos) was 191.5, 141.0, 124.0 and 163.3 for 0, 50, 100 and $200{\mu}M$ L-ascorbic acid, respectively. So, we recommend to supplement 50 or $100{\mu}M$ L-ascorbic acid in porcine in vitro culture medium.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제32권1호
• /
• pp.17-24
• /
• 2017

Ganglioside GD1a is specifically formed by the addition of sialic acid to ganglioside GM1a by ST3 ${\beta}$-galactoside ${\alpha}$-2,3-sialyltransferase 2 (ST3GAL2). Above all, GD1a are known to be related with the functional regulation of several growth factor receptors, including activation and dimerization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in tumor cells. The activity of EGF and EGFR is known to be a very important factor for meiotic and cytoplasmic maturation during in vitro maturation (IVM) of mammalian oocytes. However, the role of gangliosides GD1a for EGFR-related signaling pathways in porcine oocyte is not yet clearly understood. Here, we investigated that the effect of ST3GAL2 as synthesizing enzyme GD1a for EGFR activation and phosphorylation during meiotic maturation. To investigate the expression of ST3GAL2 according to the EGF treatment (0, 10 and 50 ng/ml), we observed the patterns of ST3GAL2 genes expression by immunofluorescence staining in denuded oocyte (DO) and cumulus cell-oocyte-complex (COC) during IVM process (22 and 44 h), respectively. Expression levels of ST3GAL2 significantly decreased (p<0.01) in an EGF concentration (10 and 50 ng/ml) dependent manner. And fluorescence expression of ST3GAL2 increased (p<0.01) in the matured COCs for 44 h. Under high EGF concentration (50 ng/ml), ST3GAL2 protein levels was decreased (p<0.01), and their shown opposite expression pattern of phosphorylation-EGFR in COCs of 44 h. Phosphorylation of EGFR significantly increased (p<0.01) in matured COCs treated with GD1a for 44 h. In addition, ST3GAL2 protein levels significantly decreased (p<0.01) in GD1a ($10{\mu}M$) treated COCs without reference to EGF pre-treatment. These results suggest that treatment of exogenous ganglioside GD1a may play an important role such as EGF in EGFR-related activation and phosphorylation in porcine oocyte maturation of in vitro.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
• /
• 제8권
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 1990

본 실험은 성선(性腺)자극호르몬과 우태아혈청(牛胎兒血淸) 첨가가 돼지 난포란(卵胞卵)의 체외성숙(體外成熟) 및 체외수정(體外受精)에 미치는 영향을 조사하기 위하여 실시하였다. 미경산돈(未經産豚)(체중 80~90kg)의 난소(卵巢)를 도살된 직후에 절취하여 $37{\sim}39^{\circ}C$의 보온병에 담아 실험실로 운반하여 난포(卵胞)직경이 3~5mm되는 것만을 골라 난포(卵胞)를 찔러서 난포란(卵胞卵)을 채취하였다. 성숙모돈(成熟牡豚)(체중 130~150kg)의 정소상체미부정자(精巢上體尾部精子)를 $4{\times}10^8cells/m{\ell}$ 농도로 희석하여 체외수정(體外受精)에 이용하였다. 본 실험의 경과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 1. m-KRB와 10% FCS를 m-KRB에 첨가한 경우 성숙율(成熟率)은 82.37%이며, 10% FCS가 첨가된 배양액에 PMSG, hCG 그리고 PMSG와 hCG를 각각 $10IU/m{\ell}$ 첨가한 경우 66, 58, 68%로서 성숙율(成熟率)이 향상되었다. 2. 난구세포(卵丘細胞)의 팽화(膨化)는 m-KRB와 10% FCS가 첨가된 배양액에서 일어나지 않았으나 10% FCS가 첨가된 배양액에 PMSG, hCG 그리고 PMSG와 hCG를 각각 $10IU/m{\ell}$ 첨가시 92, 13, 91%로서 팽화율(膨化率)이 향상되었다. 3. m-KRB에서 성숙된 난포란(卵胞卵)의 체외수정(體外受精)에서 정자침입율과 웅성전핵(雄性前核) 형성율은 각각 93.7%였으나 FCS와 성선(性腺)자극호르몬을 첨가한 경우 각각 100, 80%로서 웅성전핵(雄性前核) 형성율이 향상되었다.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• 제22권4호
• /
• pp.500-506
• /
• 2009

A modified Tris-buffered medium (mTBM) has been widely used as an insemination medium for porcine in vitro fertilization (IVF). We examined whether mTBM could be used for bovine IVF. Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in a serum-free medium containing 30 ng/ml EGF for 22 h. After culture, COCs were inseminated with spermatozoa for 12 h in mTBM containing 5 mM caffeine and 10 g/ml heparin. The penetration of oocytes increased significantly (p<0.05) as the sperm concentration increased from 0.1 (30%) to 1-10 $(87-100%){\times}10^6$ cells/ml. This was significantly different from values obtained at 1 (87%) and 10 $(100%){\times}10^6$ cells/ml. However, when COCs were inseminated with spermatozoa from different bulls, the proportions (62-100%) of oocytes penetrated varied according to the bull. The proportion (18%) of oocytes penetrated was significantly (p<0.05) lower in a fertilization medium without caffeine and heparin but increased with the addition of caffeine and/or heparin to the medium, and the proportion (93-96%) of oocytes penetrated increased significantly (p<0.05) when the medium was supplemented with heparin and caffeine. In this medium, sperm penetration was first observed at 3 h after insemination. Irrespective of the presence of glucose in the fertilization medium, the proportion (93-97%) of oocytes penetrated and the proportion (83-84%) of embryos at the ${\geq}2$-cell stage cultured in a chemically defined medium were not significantly different. However, the proportion of embryos developing to the blastocyst stage was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the presence (11%) of glucose in the fertilization medium than in its absence (2%). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that bovine oocytes penetrated in vitro in mTBM can develop to the blastocyst stage and mTBM may be used for the in vitro production of bovine embryos.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.139-146
• /
• 2017

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fructose that was supplemented to a chemically defined in vitro maturation (IVM) medium on oocyte maturation and embryonic development after parthenogenesis in pigs. The base medium for in vitro maturation (IVM) was porcine zygote medium (PZM) that was supplemented with 0.05% (w/v) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or 10% (v/v) porcine follicular fluid (pFF). In the first experiment, when immature pig oocytes were matured in a chemically defined medium that was supplemented with 5.5 mM glucose or with 1.5, 3.0 and 5.5 mM fructose, 3.0 mM fructose resulted in a higher nuclear maturation (91.5%) than 1.5 and 5.5 mM fructose (81.9 and 81.9%, respectively) but showed a similar result with 5.5 mM glucose (94.2%). However, there was no significant differences among groups in the embryo cleavage (89.4-92.4%), blastocyst formation (37.5-41.1%), and mean cell number of blastocyst (30.8-34.2 cells). Fructose at the concentration of 3.0 mM (1.08 pixels/oocyte) resulted in a higher intra-oocyte glutathione (GSH) content than 1.5 and 5.5 mM fructose (1.00 and 0.87 pixels/oocytes, respectively) while the cumulus cell expansion was not influenced. In the second experiment, effect of individual and combined supplementation of a chemically defined maturation medium with 5.5 mM glucose or 3.0 mM fructose was examined. No significant effect was found in the nuclear maturation (86.3-92.6%). Embryo cleavage was significantly increased by the combined supplementation with glucose and fructose (95.2%) compared to that with 3.0 mM fructose only (85.7%) while blastocyst formation (37.3-42.8%) and embryonic cell number (33.3-34.1 cells) were not altered. Effect of supplementation of pFF-containing medium with glucose and fructose + glucose was examined in the third experiment. No significant effect by the supplementation with glucose and fructose or glucose alone was observed in the nuclear maturation of oocytes (90.7-94.1%) and blastocyst formation (51.0-56.5%). Our results demonstrate that 3.0 mM fructose was comparable to 5.5 mM glucose in supporting in vitro oocyte maturation and embryonic development after parthenogenesis and could be used as an alternative energy source to glucose for in vitro maturation of pig oocytes.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제19권2호
• /
• pp.173-183
• /
• 2004

본 연구는 pFF, cysteine, ${\beta}$-mercaptoethanol, 성선자극호르몬 등 여러 가지 체외성숙 촉진 물질이 첨가딘 성숙배양액에 EGF 첨가가 돼지 미성숙 난포란의 체외성숙에 효과적인지 또한 그 효가는 배양소적당 COC의 수에 영향을 받는지을 구명하고자 EGF의 첨가 유무와 배양소적당 COC수(50개 또는 15개)를 조합한 $2{\times}2$ 요인시험을 실시했다. 도축돼지의 난소에서 채취한 COCs를 각 처리별로 mNCSU-23 에서 성숙배양하고 mTBM에서 운동정자의 최종동도가 $1{\times}10^5$sperm/mL 의 농도로 체외수정한 다음 NCSU-23 에서 체외발달을 유도한 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 대조구와 EGF 첨가구에서 C4군의 COC 비율이 각각 41%dhk 82%로써 EGF 첨가가 난구세포의 팽화 정도를 크게 향상시키는 것으로 나타났으나, 난핵포 붕괴율과 핵성숙율에서는 EGF 첨가 여부나 배양소적당 COC 수에 따른 차이가 나타나지 않았고 두 요인간 상호작용도 없었다. 2. 정자 침투율, 웅성전핵 형성율 및 다정자수정 발생율에서도 EGF 첨가 여부나 배양소적당 COC 수에 따른 차이가 유의적인 것이 아니었고, 두 요인간 상호작용 역시 유의적이지 않았다. 3. 난분할율에서는 처리간에 유의적인 차이가 나타나지 않았으나 배반포 발달율, 배반포의 ICM 세포수, TE 세포수 및 총세포수에서는 EGF 첨가구가 모두 유의적으로 높았다(p<0.01). COC수에 따른 차이나 두 요인간 상호작용에서는 유의성이 인정되지 않았다. 결과적으로 돼지 미성숙 난포란을 mNCSU-23에서 성숙배양할 때 10 ng/mL EGF 첨가는 성숙배양 단계에서 난구세포의 팽화를 더욱 심화시키고, 발달배양단계에서 배반포의 세포수와 배반포발달율을 증가시키는데 효과가 있는 것으로 사료된다.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제21권3호
• /
• pp.255-262
• /
• 2006

본 연구는 Open Pulled Straw(OPS)방법에 의해 동결-융해한 돼지 수정란의 체외 생존 능력을 검토하기 위하여 수행되었다. 미성숙 난자의 체외 성숙을 위하여, 돼지 난소는 도축장에서 회수하였으며, 난구세포로 쌓여있는 난자는 직경 $2{\sim}6mm$의 난포로부터 난포액과 함께 흡입에 의하여 회수하였다. 회수된 미성숙 난자의 체외 성숙을 위하여 5 mM hypotaurine, 0.57 mM cysteine, 10% 난포액, 10 IU/ml PMSG 및 10 IU/ml hCG가 함유된 NCSU-23 배양액 내에서 $21{\sim}22$ 시간 배양 후, 호르몬 물질을 제거한 성숙 배양액 내에서 $21{\sim}22$ 시간 동안 추가 배양하였다. 한편 체외 수정을 위하여 동결-융해한 정액은 5.56 mM glucose, 0.33 mM na-pyruvate, 100 IU/ml penicillin, $100 {\mu}g/ml$ streptomycin 및 4 mg/ml BSA가 첨가된 D-PBS 액을 가지고 1,500 rpm에서 10분간 2회 원심분리를 실시하여 세척하였다. 체외 수정을 위한 배양액은 pH $7.2{\sim}7.4$에서 2 mM caffeine과 2 mg/ml BSA가 첨가된 mTBM 배양액을 이용하였다. 체외 수정시 정자의 최종 농도는 $2.5{\times}10^6cells/ml$로 조정하였다. 수정 8시간 후, 체외 발육을 위하여 5.0 mM hypo-taurine, 4 mg/ml BSA 및 10 ng/ml EGF가 첨가된 NCSU- 23액으로 옮겨 7일간 배양을 계속하였다. 그 후 배반포의 여러 단계에서 OPS 법에 의해 동결-보존하였다. 그 결과, 동결-융해 후 형태학적으로 정상적인 수정란의 비율은 초기 배반포(28.3%)보다는 확장 배반포(38.9%)단계에서 동결했을 때 유의적으로 높게 나타났다(p<0.05). 한편, 동결-융해 후 상해를 입은 수정란의 비율은 확장 배반포보다는 초기 배반포 단계에서 동결된 수정란에서 유의적으로 높은 성적을 보였다(p<0.05). 또 다른 실험에서, 수정란의 동결-융해 후 형태학적으로 정상인 수정란을 48시간 추가 배양했을 때, Hatching 된 수정란의 비율은 초기 배반포, 배반포 및 확장배반포기 단계에서 동결-융해한 수정란에서 각각 6.7, 20.0 및 33.3%로 발육 단계가 높을수록 동결-융해 후의 생존율도 높게 나타났다. 본 연구의 결과로부터, 돼지에서 수정란의 동결-융해 후 생존성의 향상을 위해서는 발육 단계가 높은 배반포기 단계에서의 동결이 요구되며 본 연구에서 이용된 OPS 동결 방법이 폭넓게 활용될 것으로 사료된다.