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Raes A, Athanasiou G, Azari-Dolatabad N, Sadeghi H, Gonzalez Andueza S, Arcos JL, Cerquides J, Chaitanya Pavani K, Opsomer G, Bogado Pascottini O, Smits K, Angel-Velez D, Van Soom A. Manual versus deep learning measurements to evaluate cumulus expansion of bovine oocytes and its relationship with embryo development in vitro. Comput Biol Med 2024; 168:107785. [PMID: 38056209 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Cumulus expansion is an important indicator of oocyte maturation and has been suggested to be indicative of greater oocyte developmental capacity. Although multiple methods have been described to assess cumulus expansion, none of them is considered a gold standard. Additionally, these methods are subjective and time-consuming. In this manuscript, the reliability of three cumulus expansion measurement methods was assessed, and a deep learning model was created to automatically perform the measurement. Cumulus expansion of 232 cumulus-oocyte complexes was evaluated by three independent observers using three methods: (1) measurement of the cumulus area, (2) measurement of three distances between the zona pellucida and outer cumulus, and (3) scoring cumulus expansion on a 5-point Likert scale. The reliability of the methods was calculated in terms of intraclass-correlation coefficients (ICC) for both inter- and intra-observer agreements. The area method resulted in the best overall inter-observer agreement with an ICC of 0.89 versus 0.54 and 0.30 for the 3-distance and scoring methods, respectively. Therefore, the area method served as the base to create a deep learning model, AI-xpansion, which reaches a human-level performance in terms of average rank, bias and variance. To evaluate the accuracy of the methods, the results of cumulus expansion calculations were linked to embryonic development. Cumulus expansion had increased significantly in oocytes that achieved successful embryo development when measured by AI-xpansion, the area- or 3-distance method, while this was not the case for the scoring method. Measuring the area is the most reliable method to manually evaluate cumulus expansion, whilst deep learning automatically performs the calculation with human-level precision and high accuracy and could therefore be a valuable prospective tool for embryologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annelies Raes
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Georgios Athanasiou
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (IIIA-CSIC), 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Department of Computer Science, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hafez Sadeghi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Sebastian Gonzalez Andueza
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Josep Lluis Arcos
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (IIIA-CSIC), 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jesus Cerquides
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (IIIA-CSIC), 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Krishna Chaitanya Pavani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Geert Opsomer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Katrien Smits
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Research Group in Animal Sciences-INCA-CES, Universidad CES, Medellin, 050021, Colombia
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Fernández-Montoro A, Angel-Velez D, Benedetti C, Azari-Dolatabad N, Pascottini OB, Van Soom A, Pavani KC. Alternative Culture Systems for Bovine Oocyte In Vitro Maturation: Liquid Marbles and Differentially Shaped 96-Well Plates. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101635. [PMID: 37238065 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In vivo-matured oocytes exhibit higher developmental competence than those matured in vitro but mimicking the in vivo environment by in vitro conditions has been challenging. Until now, conventional two-dimensional (2D) systems have been used for in vitro maturation of bovine cumulus-oocytes-complexes (COCs). However, using such systems present certain limitations. Therefore, alternative low-cost methodologies may help to optimize oocyte in vitro maturation. Here, we used two different systems to culture COCs and evaluate their potential influence on embryo development and quality. In the first system, we used treated fumed silica particles to create a 3D microenvironment (liquid marbles; LM) to mature COCs. In the second system, we cultured COCs in 96-well plates with different dimensions (flat, ultra-low attachment round-bottom, and v-shaped 96-well plates). In both systems, the nuclear maturation rate remained similar to the control in 2D, showing that most oocytes reached metaphase II. However, the subsequent blastocyst rate remained lower in the liquid marble system compared with the 96-well plates and control 2D systems. Interestingly, a lower total cell number was found in the resulting embryos from both systems (LM and 96-well plates) compared with the control. In conclusion, oocytes matured in liquid marbles or 96-well plates showed no remarkable change in terms of meiotic resumption. None of the surface geometries influenced embryo development while oocyte maturation in liquid marbles led to reduced embryo development. These findings show that different geometry during maturation did not have a large impact on oocyte and embryo development. Lower embryo production after in vitro maturation in liquid marbles was probably detected because in vitro maturation was performed in serum-free medium, which makes oocytes more sensitive to possible toxic effects from the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Fernández-Montoro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
- Research Group in Animal Sciences-INCA-CES, Universidad CES, Medellin 050021, Colombia
| | - Camilla Benedetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Krishna Chaitanya Pavani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Ghent University, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
- Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Gent, Belgium
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Angel-Velez D, De Coster T, Azari-Dolatabad N, Fernández-Montoro A, Benedetti C, Pavani K, Van Soom A, Bogado Pascottini O, Smits K. Embryo morphokinetics derived from fresh and vitrified bovine oocytes predict blastocyst development and nuclear abnormalities. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4765. [PMID: 36959320 PMCID: PMC10036495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31268-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryo development is a dynamic process and critical stages may go unnoticed with the use of traditional morphologic assessments, especially the timing of embryonic divisions and aberrant zygotic cleavage patterns. Bovine embryo development is impaired after oocyte vitrification, but little is known about the underlying morphokinetic behavior. Here, bovine zygotes from fresh (n = 708) and vitrified oocytes (n = 182) were monitored by time-lapse imaging and the timing and nature of early blastomere divisions were modeled to find associations with blastocyst development at day 8. The predictive potential of morphokinetic parameters was analyzed by logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine optimal cut-off values. Lag-phase was highly correlated with embryo development. Remarkably, 100% of zygotes that reached the blastocyst stage showed a lag-phase. Fast first cleavage increased the chance of blastocyst development to 30% with a cut-off of 32 h and 22 min. Aberrant zygotic cleavage events, including multipolar division, unequal blastomere sizes, and membrane ruffling resulted in decreased blastocyst development. Multipolar division leads to uneven blastomeres, which was associated with anuclear and multinuclear blastomeres, indicating genome segregation errors. Moreover, we described for the first time morphokinetics of embryos derived from vitrified bovine oocytes. Vitrification severely affected blastocyst development, although lower cryoprotectant concentration in equilibration solutions seems to be less detrimental for embryo yield. Impaired development was linked to slow cleavages, lower lag-phase incidence, and increased early embryonic arrest. Typically, less than 15% of the embryos produced from vitrified oocytes reached more than eight cells. Interestingly, the rate of abnormal first cleavage events was not affected by oocyte vitrification. In conclusion, time to first cleavage, the presence of a lag-phase, and the absence of aberrant zygotic cleavage were the best predictors of bovine blastocyst development for both fresh and vitrified oocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
- Research Group in Animal Sciences - INCA-CES, Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia.
| | - Tine De Coster
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Andrea Fernández-Montoro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Camilla Benedetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Krishna Pavani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
- Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Katrien Smits
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction, and Population Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Azari-Dolatabad N, Benedetti C, Velez DA, Montoro AF, Sadeghi H, Residiwati G, Leroy JLMR, Van Soom A, Pascottini OB. Oocyte developmental capacity is influenced by intrinsic ovarian factors in a bovine model for individual embryo production. Anim Reprod Sci 2023; 249:107185. [PMID: 36610102 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2022.107185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The ovary and its hormones may have major effects on the in vitro developmental capacity of the oocytes it contains. We related intrinsic ovarian factors namely the presence of corpus luteum (CL) and/or dominant follicle (>8 mm) and the follicular count to cumulus expansion (CE), embryo development, and blastocyst quality in a bovine model. Cumulus-oocyte-complexes (COCs) were aspirated from follicles between 4 and 8 mm in diameter. In vitro embryo production was performed in a fully individual production system. The follicular fluid from which COCs were collected was pooled (per ovary) to evaluate the estrogen, progesterone, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations. Cumulus oocyte complexes collected from ovaries without a CL presented a greater CE than COCs derived from ovaries bearing CL. The absence of ovarian structures increased the blastocyst rate when compared to oocytes derived from ovaries with a CL, a dominant follicle, or both. Blastocysts derived from ovaries without a dominant follicle presented higher total cell numbers and a lower proportion of apoptosis than blastocysts derived from ovaries containing a dominant follicle. Cumulus oocyte complexes collected from ovaries with high follicular count resulted in higher cleavage than from ovaries with low follicular count, but the blastocyst rate was similar between groups. Ovaries bearing a CL had greater progesterone and IGF-1 follicular fluid concentrations in neighboring follicles than ovaries without a CL. Selection for bovine ovaries without CL or dominant follicle can have positive effects on CE, embryo development, and blastocyst quality in an individual embryo production system set-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Camilla Benedetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Daniel Angel Velez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Research Group in Animal Sciences - INCA-CES, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Andrea Fernandez Montoro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hafez Sadeghi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Gretania Residiwati
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Jo L M R Leroy
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Azari-Dolatabad N, Eshghi Chaharborj D, Benedetti C, Fernandez Montoro A, Leroy J, Van Soom A, Pavani K, Bogado Pascottini O. 212 Supplementation of follicular fluid-extracellular vesicles during bovine oocyte maturation and its effect on embryo development in a serum-free group and individual culture system. Reprod Fertil Dev 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/rdv35n2ab212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Benedetti C, Azari-Dolatabad N, Pavani K, Gansemans Y, Fernandez-Montoro A, Smits K, Van Soom A. 149 Identification of microRNAs associated with bovine. Reprod Fertil Dev 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/rdv35n2ab149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
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Fernández-Montoro A, De Coster T, Angel-Velez D, Azari-Dolatabad N, Benedetti C, Bogado-Pascotini O, Smits K, Pavani K, Van Soom A. 145 Lycopene as a promising. Reprod Fertil Dev 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/rdv35n2ab145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
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Gonzalez Andueza S, Azari-Dolatabad N, Benedetti C, Fernandez A, Angel-Velez D, Sadeghi H, Malledevarahalli S, Opsomer G, Van Soom A, Pascottini OB. Lycopene supplementation to serum-free embryo culture medium and its effect on development and quality of bovine blastocysts produced in vitro. Reprod Domest Anim 2022; 57:1277-1279. [PMID: 35694897 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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 β-carotene and 10 times as efficient as α-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 μl 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 μM (ITSL); and IT + DMSO-lycopene 0.1 μM (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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Gonzalez Andueza
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, National University of Asuncion, San Lorenzo, Paraguay.,Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Camilla Benedetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Andrea Fernandez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Research Group in Animal Sciences-INCA-CES, Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Hafez Sadeghi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sanjana Malledevarahalli
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geert Opsomer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Raes A, Wydooghe E, Azari-Dolatabad N, Deforce D, Opsomer G, VanSoom A, Smits K. 58 The embryotrophic effect of cathepsin-L in a bovine in vitro model. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 34:264-265. [PMID: 35231313 DOI: 10.1071/rdv34n2ab58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A Raes
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - E Wydooghe
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - N Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - D Deforce
- Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - G Opsomer
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A VanSoom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - K Smits
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Angel-Velez D, De Coster T, Azari-Dolatabad N, Fernández-Montoro A, Benedetti C, Bogado Pascottini O, Van Soom A, Smits K. 42 Comparison of three permeating cryoprotectant mixtures for equine immature oocyte vitrification. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 34:256. [PMID: 35231296 DOI: 10.1071/rdv34n2ab42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- D Angel-Velez
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - T De Coster
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - N Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Fernández-Montoro
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - C Benedetti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - O Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - K Smits
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Fernández-Montoro A, Angel-Velez D, Azari-Dolatabad N, Benedetti C, Bogado Pascottini O, Pavani K, Van Soom A. 144 A comparative study using flat, round, and V-shaped 96-well plates during bovine oocyte in vitro maturation. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 34:310. [PMID: 35231351 DOI: 10.1071/rdv34n2ab144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A Fernández-Montoro
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - D Angel-Velez
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - N Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - C Benedetti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - O Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - K Pavani
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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12
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Azari-Dolatabad N, Benedetti C, Fernandez Montoro A, Angel Velez D, Residwaiti G, Sadeghi H, Van Soom A, Bogado Pascottini O. 138 Ovarian factors associated with bovine in vitro embryo development and quality in an individual culture system. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 34:307. [PMID: 35231344 DOI: 10.1071/rdv34n2ab138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- N Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - C Benedetti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Fernandez Montoro
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - D Angel Velez
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - G Residwaiti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - H Sadeghi
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - O Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Residiwati G, Azari-Dolatabad N, Tuska H, Sidi S, Van Damme P, Benedetti C, Fernandez-Montoro A, Llamas-Luceno N, Budiono K, Pavani K, Opsomer G, Van Soom A, Bogado Pascottini O. 140 Effect of lycopene supplementation to bovine oocytes exposed to heat shock during in vitro maturation. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 34:308. [PMID: 35231347 DOI: 10.1071/rdv34n2ab140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - H Tuska
- Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - S Sidi
- Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | - K Budiono
- Gajayana University, East Java, Indonesia
| | - K Pavani
- Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - G Opsomer
- Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Angel-Velez D, De Coster T, Azari-Dolatabad N, Fernandez-Montoro A, Benedetti C, Bogado Pascottini O, Woelders H, Van Soom A, Smits K. New Alternative Mixtures of Cryoprotectants for Equine Immature Oocyte Vitrification. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113077. [PMID: 34827809 PMCID: PMC8614364 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Oocyte cryopreservation allows female gametes to be conserved for long periods, which would be of benefit for mares of high genetic merit, but its efficiency is not satisfactory yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to optimize a vitrification protocol for equine oocytes using a systematic approach. We performed a side-by-side comparison of different cryoprotective agents (CPAs) during the vitrification and warming of equine oocytes. In the first experiment, a fixed mixture of CPAs that enter the oocyte was used, and three sugars were compared, which cannot penetrate the oocyte but provide protection through an osmotic effect. In the second experiment, one sugar from the first experiment was selected to compare three mixtures of CPAs that enter the oocyte. Overall, the embryo development was reduced after oocyte cryopreservation when compared to fresh oocytes. Yet, we were able to produce embryos with all six cryoprotective agent mixtures, and we identified one promising combination of cryoprotectants, consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and galactose, that resulted in blastocyst rates in the same range as the fresh control group. Abstract Equine oocyte vitrification would benefit the growing in vitro embryo production programs, but further optimization of the protocol is necessary to reach clinical efficiency. Therefore, we aimed to perform a direct comparison of non-permeating and permeating cryoprotective agents (CPAs) during the vitrification and warming of equine immature oocytes. In the first experiment, cumulus oocytes complexes (COCs) were vitrified comparing sucrose, trehalose, and galactose in combination with ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In the second experiment, the COCs were vitrified using three mixtures of permeating CPAs in a 50:50 volume ratio (ethylene glycol-dimethyl sulfoxide (ED), propylene glycol-ethylene glycol (PE), and propylene glycol-dimethyl sulfoxide (PD)) with galactose and warmed in different galactose concentrations (0.3 or 0.5 mol/L). Overall, all the treatments supported blastocyst formation, but the developmental rates were lower for all the vitrified groups in the first (4.3 to 7.6%) and the second (3.5 to 9.4%) experiment compared to the control (26.5 and 34.2%, respectively; p < 0.01). In the first experiment, the maturation was not affected by vitrification. The sucrose exhibited lower cleavage than the control (p = 0.02). Although the galactose tended to have lower maturation than trehalose (p = 0.060) and control (p = 0.069), the highest numerical cleavage and blastocyst rates were obtained with this CPA. In the second experiment, the maturation, cleavage, and blastocyst rates were similar between the treatments. Compared to the control, only the ED reached similar maturation (p = 0.02) and PE similar cleavage (p = 0.1). The galactose concentration during warming did not affect the maturation, cleavage, or blastocyst rates (p > 0.1), but the PE-0.3 exhibited the highest blastocyst rate (15.1%) among the treatments, being the only one comparable to the control (34.2%). As such, PE–galactose provides a valuable option for equine immature oocyte vitrification and should be considered for the future optimization of the protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
- Research Group in Animal Sciences—INCA-CES, Universidad CES, Medellin 050021, Colombia
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +32-4-5614-4543
| | - Tine De Coster
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
| | - Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
| | - Andrea Fernandez-Montoro
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
| | - Camilla Benedetti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
- Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Henri Woelders
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
| | - Katrien Smits
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; (T.D.C.); (N.A.-D.); (A.F.-M.); (C.B.); (O.B.P.); (A.V.S.); (K.S.)
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Residiwati G, Azari-Dolatabad N, Tuska HSA, Sidi S, Van Damme P, Benedetti C, Montoro AF, Luceno NL, Budiono, Pavani KC, Opsomer G, Van Soom A, Bogado Pascottini O. Effect of lycopene supplementation to bovine oocytes exposed to heat shock during in vitro maturation. Theriogenology 2021; 173:48-55. [PMID: 34332201 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of the antioxidant lycopene supplemented into the in vitro maturation medium (TCM-199 with 20 ng/mL epidermal growth factor and 50 mg/mL gentamycin) in a heat shock (HS) model to mimic in vivo heat stress conditions. Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes were supplemented with 0.2 μM lycopene (or not supplemented; control) under HS (40.5 °C) and non-HS (NHS; 38.5 °C) during maturation. After 22 h of maturation, we evaluated the nuclear status of the oocytes, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the respective blastocyst development and quality (via differential staining). Data were fitted in logistic and linear regression models, and the replicates were set as a random effect. The nuclear maturation was higher in NHS (84.0 ± 3.2%; least square mean ± standard error) than HS control (60.4 ± 4.3%; P < 0.001). Remarkably, the nuclear maturation in HS lycopene (71.7 ± 4.1%) was similar to NHS control (P = 0.7). Under HS conditions lycopene reduced ROS production (27.4 ± 4.8; relative fluorescence units (RFU)) in comparison to HS control (33.8 ± 1.8 RFU; P = 0.009). However, the ROS production in NHS lycopene (18.9 ± 2.0 RFU) was similar to NHS control (18.7 ± 1.8 RFU; P = 0.9). The cleavage rate in HS lycopene (76.1 ± 3.3%) was not lower than NHS lycopene (83.3 ± 2.5%; P > 0.1). On the day 8 of embryo development, the blastocyst rate was higher for NHS lycopene (55.2 ± 4.7%) versus NHS control (44.5 ± 4.7%; P = 0.04), but under HS the day 8 blastocyst rate was similar between control (29.9 ± 4.2%) and lycopene (32.3 ± 4.2%; P = 0.9). Lycopene supplementation increased the cell number of the embryos (total cell, trophectoderm, and inner cell mass numbers) under NHS conditions (P > 0.03). The apoptotic cell ratio was lower in lycopene (NHS and HS) versus control (NHS and HS) (P > 0.04). Lycopene has the ability to scavenge oocyte ROS and improved the cleavage rate of embryos under HS conditions. However, this could not be translated to a higher blastocyst development, which remained lower under HS. Results of our study indicate that antioxidant supplementation like lycopene during the maturation of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes may be routinely used to improve blastocyst rate and quality under standard maturation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Residiwati
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - N Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - H S A Tuska
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - S Sidi
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Theriogenology and Animal Production, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
| | - P Van Damme
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - C Benedetti
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A F Montoro
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - N L Luceno
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Budiono
- Gajayana University, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
| | - K C Pavani
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - G Opsomer
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - A Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - O Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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Azari-Dolatabad N, Raes A, Pavani KC, Asaadi A, Angel-Velez D, Van Damme P, Leroy JLMR, Van Soom A, Pascottini OB. Follicular fluid during individual oocyte maturation enhances cumulus expansion and improves embryo development and quality in a dose-specific manner. Theriogenology 2021; 166:38-45. [PMID: 33684781 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We evaluated the effect of supplementation of different concentrations of bovine follicular fluid (FF) during in vitro maturation (IVM) on oocyte development and blastocyst quality in group and individual culture conditions. To do so, in vitro maturation medium (TCM-199 with 20 ng/mL epidermal growth factor and 50 μg/mL gentamycin) was supplemented with 0 (control), 1, 5, or 10% of FF. Follicular fluid was collected from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries, selecting follicles between 12 and 20 mm in diameter. Oocytes were either produced in groups or individually matured, fertilized, and cultured to the blastocyst stage, allowing for separate follow-up of each oocyte. Development (cleavage and blastocyst rates) among experimental groups were fitted in mixed-effects models, and blastocyst quality parameters (assessed via differential apoptotic staining) were evaluated in mixed linear regression models. We also assessed the cumulus expansion (prior and after maturation) for individual culture conditions, and their difference was fitted in mixed linear regression models. The FF was collected from two batches, with an estradiol/progesterone ratio higher than 1. The FF batch did not affect the development or blastocyst quality in group or individual culture conditions (P > 0.05). In group culture, development was similar among experimental groups (P > 0.05). Five or 10% of FF supplementation improved (P ˂ 0.05) aspects of blastocyst quality such as total cell numbers (TCN), trophectoderm (TE), inner cell mass (ICM), and ICM/TCN and apoptotic cells/TCN ratio in comparison to control. In the individual culture system, 5% FF supplementation increased (P ˂ 0.05) day 8 blastocyst rate (33 ± 3.4% (LSM ± SE)) in comparison to control (20 ± 2.7%) and 1% FF supplementation (19 ± 2.6%) but it was not different (P > 0.05) from 10% FF supplementation (28 ± 3.4%). Five percent of FF supplementation resulted in greater TCN, ICM, and ICM/TCN than control (P ˂ 0.05). It also resulted in a greater expansion of cumulus cell investment than the other groups (P ˂ 0.05), with a 3-fold increase compared to control. In conclusion, 5% of FF supplementation during IVM improved the cumulus expansion and the blastocyst development and quality in an individual culture system. However, FF supplementation during maturation in a group culture system did not increase development, but it modestly improved some embryo quality aspects when 5 or 10% of FF was added.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Azari-Dolatabad
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
| | - Annelies Raes
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Krishna Chaitanya Pavani
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Anise Asaadi
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Daniel Angel-Velez
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Research Group in Animal Sciences - INCA-CES, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Universidad CES, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Petra Van Damme
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Jo L M R Leroy
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Ann Van Soom
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Osvaldo Bogado Pascottini
- Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Veterinary Sciences, Gamete Research Center, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
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