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Velazquez MA. Nutritional Strategies to Promote Bovine Oocyte Quality for In Vitro Embryo Production: Do They Really Work? Vet Sci 2023; 10:604. [PMID: 37888556 PMCID: PMC10611302 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10100604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of bovine oocytes to reach the blastocyst stage (i.e., embryo with around 150 cells in cattle) in vitro can be affected by technical (e.g., culture medium used) and physiological factors in oocyte donors (e.g., age, breed). As such, the nutritional status of oocyte donors plays a significant role in the efficiency of in vitro embryo production (IVEP), and several nutritional strategies have been investigated in cattle subjected to ovum pick-up (OPU). However, there is no clear consensus on the reliability of nutritional schemes to improve IVEP in cattle. Available evidence suggests that a moderate body condition score (i.e., 3 in a 1-5 scale) in cattle is compatible with a metabolic microenvironment in ovarian follicles that will promote embryo formation in vitro. The usefulness of fatty acid and micronutrient supplementation to improve IVEP in cattle is debatable with the current information available. Overall, the supply of maintenance nutritional requirements according to developmental and productive stage seems to be enough to provide bovine oocyte donors with a good chance of producing embryos in vitro. Future nutrition research in cattle using OPU-IVEP models needs to consider animal well-being aspects (i.e., stress caused by handling and sampling), which could affect the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Velazquez
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
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2
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Owen CM, Johnson MA, Rhodes-Long KA, Gumber DJ, Barceló-Fimbres M, Altermatt JL, Campos-Chillon LF. Novel Synthetic oviductal fluid for Conventional Freezing 1 (SCF1) culture medium improves development and cryotolerance of in vitro produced Holstein embryos. J Anim Sci 2022; 100:6527267. [PMID: 35148394 PMCID: PMC8919821 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skac043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In vitro produced (IVP) embryos hold great promise in the cattle industry; however, suboptimal in vitro culture conditions induce metabolic dysfunction, resulting in poor development and low cryotolerance of IVP embryos. This limits the use of IVP embryos in the cattle industry for embryo transfer and commercial scale-up. Previous studies have reported the use of individual metabolic regulators in culture media to improve blastocyst development rates and cryopreservation. In this study, we hypothesized that using a combination of select regulators, chosen for their unique synergistic potential, would alleviate metabolic dysfunction and improve the development of in vitro produced embryos to make them more closely resemble in vivo derived embryos. To test this, we first compared lipid content between Holstein and Jersey embryos produced in vivo and in vitro, and then systematically determined the combination of metabolic regulators that led to the greatest improvements in embryonic development, lipid content, mitochondrial polarity, and cryotolerance. We also tested different slow freezing techniques to further improve cryotolerance and finally validated our results via a clinical trial. Overall, we found that the use of multiple metabolic regulators in one culture media, which we refer to as Synthetic oviductal fluid for Conventional Freezing 1 (SCF1), and an optimized slow freezing technique resulted in improved pregnancy rates for frozen IVP embryos compared to embryos cultured in a synthetic oviductal fluid media. Additionally, there was no difference in pregnancy rate between frozen and fresh IVP embryos cultured in SCF1. This suggests that optimizing culture conditions and slow freezing technique can produce cryotolerance IVP and should allow further dissemination of this assisted reproductive technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corie M Owen
- Department of Animal Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA,Corresponding authors: ; Current Address: Department of Cell Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Melissa A Johnson
- Department of Animal Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA,Current Address: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Katherine A Rhodes-Long
- Department of Animal Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA,Current Address: Shady Grove Fertility, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA
| | - Diana J Gumber
- Department of Animal Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA,Current Address: Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | | | - Joy L Altermatt
- Department of Animal Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA,Current Address: Veterinary Reproduction Innovations APC, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405, USA
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3
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de Mori B, Spiriti MM, Pollastri I, Normando S, Biasetti P, Florio D, Andreucci F, Colleoni S, Galli C, Göritz F, Hermes R, Holtze S, Lazzari G, Seet S, Zwilling J, Stejskal J, Mutisya S, Ndeereh D, Ngulu S, Vigne R, Hildebrandt TB. An Ethical Assessment Tool (ETHAS) to Evaluate the Application of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Mammals' Conservation: The Case of the Northern White Rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum cottoni). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:312. [PMID: 33530613 PMCID: PMC7911958 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) can make a difference in biodiversity conservation. Their application, however, can create risks and raise ethical issues that need addressing. Unfortunately, there is a lack of attention to the topic in the scientific literature and, to our knowledge, there is no tool for the ethical assessment of ARTs in the context of conservation that has been described. This paper reports the first applications of the Ethical Assessment Tool (ETHAS) to trans-rectal ovum pick-up (OPU) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures used in a northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) conservation project. The ETHAS consists of two checklists, the Ethical Evaluation Sheet and the Ethical Risk Assessment, and is specifically customized for each ART procedure. It provides an integrated, multilevel and standardized self-assessment of the procedure under scrutiny, generating an ethical acceptability ranking (totally, partially, not acceptable) and a risk rank (low, medium, high), and, hence, allows for implementing measures to address or manage issues beforehand. The application of the ETHAS to the procedures performed on the northern white rhinoceros was effective in ensuring a high standard of procedures, contributing to the acceptability and improved communication among the project's partners. In turn, the tool itself was also refined through an iterative consultation process between experts and stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara de Mori
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (M.M.S.); (I.P.)
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
| | - Maria Michela Spiriti
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (M.M.S.); (I.P.)
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
| | - Ilaria Pollastri
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (M.M.S.); (I.P.)
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
| | - Simona Normando
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (M.M.S.); (I.P.)
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
| | - Pierfrancesco Biasetti
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (F.G.); (R.H.); (S.H.)
| | - Daniela Florio
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
- Department of Veterinary Medical Science, University of Bologna, 40064 Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Andreucci
- Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare, University of Padua, 35020 Padua, Italy; (P.B.); (D.F.); (F.A.)
| | - Silvia Colleoni
- Avantea, Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies, 26100 Cremona, Italy; (S.C.); (C.G.); (G.L.)
| | - Cesare Galli
- Avantea, Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies, 26100 Cremona, Italy; (S.C.); (C.G.); (G.L.)
- Avantea Foundation, 26100 Cremona, Italy
| | - Frank Göritz
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (F.G.); (R.H.); (S.H.)
| | - Robert Hermes
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (F.G.); (R.H.); (S.H.)
| | - Susanne Holtze
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (F.G.); (R.H.); (S.H.)
| | - Giovanna Lazzari
- Avantea, Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies, 26100 Cremona, Italy; (S.C.); (C.G.); (G.L.)
- Avantea Foundation, 26100 Cremona, Italy
| | - Steven Seet
- Science Communication, Science Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (S.S.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jan Zwilling
- Science Communication, Science Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (S.S.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jan Stejskal
- ZOO Dvůr Králové, 54401 Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Czech Republic;
| | - Samuel Mutisya
- Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy, Nanyuki 10400, Kenya; (S.M.); (S.N.); (R.V.)
| | | | - Stephen Ngulu
- Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy, Nanyuki 10400, Kenya; (S.M.); (S.N.); (R.V.)
| | - Richard Vigne
- Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy, Nanyuki 10400, Kenya; (S.M.); (S.N.); (R.V.)
| | - Thomas B. Hildebrandt
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, D-10315 Berlin, Germany; (F.G.); (R.H.); (S.H.)
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
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Carrillo-González DF, Maldonado-Estrada JG. L-carnitine supplementation in culture media improves the pregnancy rate of in vitro produced embryos with sexed semen from Bos taurus indicus cows. Trop Anim Health Prod 2020; 52:2559-2565. [PMID: 32440939 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02281-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The in vitro embryo production industry in the actual world presents some difficulties related to low embryonic production rates, a problem that could be associated with in vitro culture conditions that differed from the in vivo (oviductal) conditions, mainly related to cytoplasmic lipid accumulation. L-carnitine is known as a modulator of β-oxidation in the developing embryo, as it has been demonstrated that it improves embryo quality without affecting the in vitro embryo production rate. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine supplemented during the in vitro maturation and culture processes on the implantation rate of in vitro produced embryos. Supplementation with 3.8 mM of L-carnitine was used during in vitro maturation, and later, during late in vitro culture, it was added at 1.5 mM. A control group contained no L-carnitine supplementation. Bovine oocytes obtained by ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration from healthy Bos taurus indicus cows were matured, fertilized and cultured in vitro. Multiparous F1 (Bos taurus taurus × Bos taurus indicus) cows were used as recipients. Overall, 460 oocytes were processed in three independent replicates from in vitro maturation until day 8 of the in vitro culture. No significant difference was found between treatments of in vitro embryo production. However, pregnancy rate at days 45 and 72 was significantly higher in blastocysts derived from L-carnitine treatment (31.55 ± 9.78%) compared to the control group (18.68 ± 6.31%). In conclusion, addition of L-carnitine at 3.8 mM and 1.5 mM in the maturation, and culture medium after day 3 of in vitro production process, significantly improved pregnancy rate after embryo transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego F Carrillo-González
- One Health and Veterinary Innovative Research and Development (OHVRI) Group, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Antioquia, 050034, Medellin, Colombia. .,Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, School of Zootechny, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia.
| | - Juan G Maldonado-Estrada
- One Health and Veterinary Innovative Research and Development (OHVRI) Group, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Antioquia, 050034, Medellin, Colombia
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Campos-Chillon LF, Owen CM, Altermatt JL. Equine and Bovine Oocyte Maturation in a Novel Medium Without CO2 Gas Phase. J Equine Vet Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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6
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Aherin DG, Bormann JM, Heier Stamm JL, MacNeil MD, Weaber RL. Decision-making tools: stochastic simulation model accounting for the impacts of biological variation on success of bovine embryo transfer programs. Transl Anim Sci 2018; 2:451-462. [PMID: 32704727 PMCID: PMC7200921 DOI: 10.1093/tas/txy087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of the project was to create an economic risk analysis tool for user-defined embryo transfer (ET) programs as an aid in decision-making. Distributions defining the biological uncertainty for many reproductive outcomes are estimated through extensive literature review and limited industry sources. Applying the Latin hypercube variation of Monte Carlo simulation, a sample value from the descriptive distribution associated with each stochastic variable is included in each iteration of the simulation. Through large numbers of iterations with dynamic combinations of variable values, the process culminates in a distribution of possible values for the net present value, annuity equivalent net present value, and return on investment associated with the modeled embryo production scenario. Two options for embryo production, multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET) and in vitro embryo production (IVP) from aspirated oocytes, are modeled. Within both MOET and IVP, the use of unsorted or sex-sorted semen is considered, as well as the exception or inclusion of follicular synchronization and/or stimulation before ovum pick-up in IVP procedures. Pretransfer embryo selection through embryo biopsy can also be accounted for when considering in vivo derived embryos. Ample opportunity exists for the commercial application of in-depth, alternative ET scenario assessment afforded through stochastic simulation methodology that the ET industry has not yet fully exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin G Aherin
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Jennifer M Bormann
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Jessica L Heier Stamm
- Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
| | - Michael D MacNeil
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.,Delta G, Miles City, MT.,Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Robert L Weaber
- Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
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Delaying meiotic resumption during transportation of bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes: effects on development, apoptosis and caspases activity of in vitro-produced embryos. ZYGOTE 2017; 25:740-750. [DOI: 10.1017/s0967199417000636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
SummaryThis study examined the effects of meiosis inhibition during bovine oocyte transportation on developmental competence and quality of produced embryos. The transportation medium was supplemented with: 100 μM butyrolactone I (BL), 500 μM IBMX + 100 μM forskolin (mSPOM), 100 μM milrinone (MR) or follicular fluid (bFF), and was carried out in a portable incubator for 6 h. Next, oocytes were in vitro matured (IVM) for 18 h, without the meiotic inhibitors, with the exception of mSPOM group, in which was added 20 μM cilostamide. The three control groups were IVM with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) (Control Lab FCS) or 0.6% bovine serum albumin (BSA) (Control Lab BSA) in a CO2 in air incubator or in the portable incubator with 0.6% BSA (Control Transp BSA). Higher cleavage rates (P < 0.05) were obtained in the Control Lab FCS group (84.5 ± 5.3%) compared with the other groups (59.6 ± 3.4% to 70.9 ± 2.3%). Embryonic development was higher (P < 0.05) in the Control Lab FCS group (39.8 ± 4.7%) than in the Control Transp BSA (22.7 ± 3.4%) and MR (21.6 ± 2.3%) groups. However, they were similar (P > 0.05) to the other groups (23.6 ± 3.3% to 28.8 ± 2.7%). The total number of blastomeres was higher (P < 0.05) in the Control Lab FCS group (85.2 ± 5.6) than in Control Lab BSA (53.6 ± 2.9), Control Transp BSA (55.5 ± 4.4), BL (58.2 ± 3.0), mSPOM (57.9 ± 4.9) and MR (59.2 ± 3.9), but all these treatments did not differ (P > 0.05) from bFF (67.7 ± 4.2). No differences (P > 0.05) were found in apoptosis by the activity of caspases (139.0 ± 3.2 to 152.4 ± 6.5, expressed in fluorescence intensity) as well as the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells (12.3 ± 2.0% to 15.7 ± 1.7%). In conclusion, the transportation of oocytes over 6 h with BL, mSPOM or bFF enabled the acquisition of developmental competence at similar rates to the Control Lab FCS group.
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Kussano NR, Leme LO, Guimarães ALS, Franco MM, Dode MAN. Molecular markers for oocyte competence in bovine cumulus cells. Theriogenology 2015; 85:1167-76. [PMID: 26792377 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2015] [Revised: 11/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to quantify the expression of candidate genes in cumulus cells (CCs) from cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) with high and low potential for in vitro development up to the blastocyst stage. First, the effects of individual culture and biopsy on embryo development were evaluated. Individuals cultured using the well of the well system were compared with individuals cultured in 20 μL droplets (microdroplets) and those cultured in groups (control). Blastocyst rates were lower for the individual culture systems (P < 0.05; well of the well = 17.9%, n = 95; microdrop = 26.3%, n = 95) than for the control group (45.0%, n = 209). Second, the effects of biopsy on embryo production were compared between the control and microdroplet cultures, and no effects (P > 0.05) were observed for either group. Finally, the expression profiles of glypican 4 (GPC4), IGF4-binding protein, follicle-stimulating hormonereceptor, growth hormone receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, fibroblast growth factor 11, solute carrier family 2 member 1, solute carrier family 2 member 3,sprouty homolog 1, versican, and keratin protein 8 in CCs obtained by biopsy were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cumulus cells were categorized on the basis of the fates of the COCs: expanded blastocyst, cleaved and arrested, and uncleaved. The GPC4 gene was overexpressed (P = 0.007) in CCs from oocytes that formed embryos compared with those that produced cleaved and arrested embryos. We concluded that individual culture reduced blastocyst production; however, biopsy did not affect embryo development. The profile of GPC4 expression can be used as a marker to distinguish COCs with potential for embryo development from those with limited developmental potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Kussano
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - L O Leme
- School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - A L S Guimarães
- School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - M M Franco
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Embrapa-Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - M A N Dode
- School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil; Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Embrapa-Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
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