Beneficial Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation during IVM of Canine Oocytes on Their Nuclear Maturation and Development In Vitro
1
Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211, Egypt
2
Department of AI and ET, Animal Reproduction Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Giza 12556, Egypt
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Monica De Los Reyes
Animals 2021, 11(2), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020581
Received: 3 January 2021 / Revised: 12 February 2021 / Accepted: 15 February 2021 / Published: 23 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights in Canine Reproduction)
Simple Summary
In vitro production of canine embryos is a technique that can be used as a model to conserve endangered species and to establish efficient breeding systems for domestic dogs. However, compared with other species, the success rates of in vitro embryo production (IVEP) in dogs are low. L-Carnitine (LC) is a small water-soluble molecule; it plays an essential role in fatty acid metabolism and acts as a potent antioxidant. Various studies have reported the beneficial impacts of LC on IVEP in many mammalian species other than dogs. Therefore, these experiments investigated the effects of LC supplementation during in vitro maturation (IVM) on canine oocytes maturation, fertilization, and development in vitro. We show that the supplementation of IVM media with LC has positive impacts on oocyte maturation, fertilization, and preimplantation embryo development rates. We also demonstrate that 0.6 mg/mL LC is the most beneficial concentration to be used. It resulted in significantly higher maturation, fertilization, and embryo developmental rates than the control and other LC concentrations. These outcomes are essential for refining the IVM conditions that can advance the efficiency of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in dogs.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of L-Carnitine (LC) supplementation during in vitro maturation (IVM) of canine oocytes on nuclear maturation, fertilization status, and preimplantation development. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) collected from the ovaries of ovariohysterectomized female dogs were matured in vitro for 72 h in a TCM-199 medium supplemented with (0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/mL) or without (0.0 mg/mL) LC. Matured oocytes were fertilized in vitro with frozen–thawed spermatozoa, and zygotes were cultured in a SOF medium for 7 days. IVM rates were higher (p ≤ 0.05) in 0.3 and 0.6 mg/mL LC supplemented groups than in the control (0.0 mg/mL LC) and other LC groups. Fertilization (18 h postinsemination (pi)) and cleavage (2–16-cell stage at day 3 pi) rates were higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the 0.6 mg/mL LC group than in the control and 0.1, 1.0, and 2 mg/mL LC supplemented groups. Interestingly, 4.5% of fertilized oocytes developed to morula (day 5 pi) in the 0.6 mg/mL LC group, which was higher (p ≤ 0.05) than those developed in the 0.3 mg/mL group (1.0%). No cleaved embryos developed to morula in other groups. In conclusion, LC supplementation at 0.6 mg/mL during IVM of canine oocytes improved their maturation, fertilization, and preimplantation embryo development rates following IVF and in vitro culture (IVC).
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Keywords:
oocyte; dog; IVM/IVF; L-Carnitine; embryo
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Moawad, A.R.; Salama, A.; Badr, M.R.; Fathi, M. Beneficial Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation during IVM of Canine Oocytes on Their Nuclear Maturation and Development In Vitro. Animals 2021, 11, 581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020581
AMA Style
Moawad AR, Salama A, Badr MR, Fathi M. Beneficial Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation during IVM of Canine Oocytes on Their Nuclear Maturation and Development In Vitro. Animals. 2021; 11(2):581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020581
Chicago/Turabian StyleMoawad, Adel R.; Salama, Ali; Badr, Magdy R.; Fathi, Mohamed. 2021. "Beneficial Effects of L-Carnitine Supplementation during IVM of Canine Oocytes on Their Nuclear Maturation and Development In Vitro" Animals 11, no. 2: 581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020581
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