Lycopene supplementation to serum-free embryo culture medium and its effect on development and quality of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro

Selenium is commonly used as an antioxidant in a serum-free culture medium setting. However, lycopene has emerged as a potent antioxidant being twice as efficient as beta-carotene and 10 times as efficient as alpha-tocopherol with beneficial effects when supplemented in a serum-free maturation medium. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effect of lycopene supplementation in a serum-free culture medium on blastocyst development and quality. After in vitro maturation and fertilization, presumed zygotes were cultured in groups of 25 in 50 mu l droplets of synthetic oviductal fluid. Culture medium supplementation was done using four experimental groups: insulin, transferrin, selenium (ITS, control); ITS + DMSO (diluent control); ITS + DMSO-lycopene 0.1 mu M (ITSL); and IT + DMSO-lycopene 0.1 mu M (ITL). DMSO was used as a diluent for lycopene. Blastocyst development among experimental groups was fitted in mixed-effects models, and blastocyst quality parameters (assessed via differential apoptotic staining) were evaluated in mixed linear regression models. The cleavage (85.3 +/- 2.4, 82.6 +/- 2.7, 86 +/- 2.3 and 86.4 +/- 2.3% for control, diluent control, ITSL and ITL, respectively) and day 8 blastocyst rates (37.4 +/- 3.3, 36.9 +/- 3.4, 39.7 +/- 3.3 and 46.2 +/- 3.4% for control, diluent control, ITSL and ITL, respectively) were not different (p > .1) among experimental groups. Embryos produced in the ITL group resulted in blastocysts with higher total cell numbers (TCN; 141 +/- 19.2), inner cell mass (ICM; 65.3 +/- 11.6) and trophectoderm cells (TE; 75.2 +/- 8.8) compared with the control (129 +/- 19.2, 56.3 +/- 11.6 and 72.7 +/- 8.8, for TCN, ICM and TE; p < .01, respectively). Lycopene-supplemented groups (ITSL and ITL) resulted in blastocysts with similar TCN, ICM and TE (p > .2). The number of apoptotic cells was not different among experimental groups (p > .1). Lycopene supplementation to the culture medium only produced a numerical increase in the blastocyst rate but replacing selenium with lycopene in a serum-free culture medium resulted in blastocysts with more cells.

Jaar van publicatie:2022

Trefwoorden:A1 Journal article

Toegankelijkheid:Open