Caffeine and dithiothreitol delay ovine oocyte ageing

• Published in: Reproduction fertility and development Vol. 22; no. 8; pp. 1254 - 1261
• Main Authors: Ye, Xiao-Fang, Chen, Shi-Bin, Wang, Li-Qin, Zhao, Yun-Cheng, Lv, Xue-Feng, Liu, Ming-Jun, Huang, Jun-Cheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing 01.01.2010
• Subjects: aged oocyte; Animals; Caffeine - pharmacology; Cellular Senescence - drug effects; development; Dithiothreitol - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Embryo Culture Techniques; Embryonic Development - drug effects; Female; glutathione; Glutathione - metabolism; Nuclear Transfer Techniques; Oocytes - drug effects; Oocytes - metabolism; Oocytes - physiology; Parthenogenesis; Sheep; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1031-3613; 1448-5990
• DOI: 10.1071/RD10062

The intracellular glutathione levels and developmental competence of aged oocytes after parthenogenetic activation, somatic cell nuclear transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in the presence or absence of caffeine or dithiothreitol (DTT) were examined. The following results were found: (1) ovine oocytes were fully aged 30h post-onset of maturation culture; (2) the appropriate concentrations of caffeine and DTT for oocyte culture were 5mM and 1mM, respectively; (3) when nuclear transfer-reconstructed embryos were treated with caffeine or DTT following fusion, no increase in the frequency of development to blastocyst was observed (P>0.05), but the cell numbers of blastocysts increased (P<0.05); (4) both caffeine and DTT increased the blastocyst formation rates of intracytoplasmic sperm-injected embryos (P<0.05); (5) caffeine increased the glutathione content of aged oocytes (P<0.05). The glutathione content of DTT-treated aged oocytes was higher than that of oocytes matured for 36h (P<0.05). In conclusion, caffeine and dithiothreitol delay oocyte ageing but only to a limited extent.