Effect of nano-selenium and nano-zinc particles during in vitro maturation on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes

Abstract

The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effects of supplemental nano-selenium (NSe) and nano-zinc oxide (NZn-O) particles during in vitro maturation (IVM) on DNA damage of cumulus cells, glutathione (GSH) concentration in bovine oocytes, subsequent embryo development and re-expansion rate of vitrified warmed blastocysts. The current study was conducted on bovine ovaries obtained from a local abattoir and transported to the laboratory in sterile phosphate buffer saline with antibiotics at 37°C, within 1 h after slaughter. Ovaries were pooled, regardless of stage of the oestrous cycle of the donor. Only cumulus-intact complexes with evenly granulated cytoplasm were selected for IVM. Experimental design included the following: Experiment 1 studied the effect of addition of 1.0 µg/mL NSe or NZn-O to IVM medium on DNA damage of cumulus cells; Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of NSe or NZn-O on intracellular glutathione in oocytes and cumulus cells; in Experiment 3, the development of oocytes matured in IVM medium supplemented with 1.0 µg/mL NSe or NZn-O was investigated; and in Experiment 4, the effects of adding 1.0 µg/mL NSe and NZn-O to in vitro fertilisation media on vitrified oocytes and embryos were investigated. The DNA damage in cumulus cells decreased with supplemental NSe and NZn-O at concentration of 1 µg/mL in the IVM medium (180.2 ± 21.4, 55.8 ± 4.3 and 56.6 ± 3.9 for the control and NSe and NZn-O groups respectively). Total GSH concentrations increased following supplementation with 1 µg/mL NSe and 1 µg/mL NZn-O, compared with the control group. Re-expansion rate of vitrified warmed blastocysts in experimental media containing NSe and NZn-O with ethylene glycol was higher than that of the control. In conclusion, providing NSe and NZn-O during oocyte maturation significantly increased both intracellular GSH concentration and DNA integrity of cumulus cells. Optimal embryo development was partially dependent on the presence of NSe and NZn-O during IVM. NSe and NZn-O during oocyte maturation act as a good cryoprotective agents of vitrified, warmed blastocysts.