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Vitrification of camel oocytes transiently impacts mitochondrial functions without affecting the developmental potential after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and parthenogenetic activation

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Abstract

Oocyte vitrification preserves the female genetic resources of elite dromedary camels. In the current study, we aimed to explore the effects of vitrification of camel oocytes on mitochondrial activity, redox stress, and expression of genes related to mitochondrial function, apoptosis, pluripotency, and cytoskeleton. Moreover, we investigated developmental competence of vitrified oocytes after parthenogenetic activation. Oocytes vitrified with the Cryotop method were compared with the fresh oocytes. Our results showed that vitrification led to increased ROS production in oocytes as evidenced by an increase in the DCFDHA fluorescence intensity, and lower mitochondrial activity. At the molecular level, vitrification reduced mRNA expression of many genes, including those related to mitochondrial function (TFAM, MT-CO1, MFN1, ATP1A1, NRF1), pluripotency (SOX2 and POU5F1), and apoptosis (p53 and BAX). In contrast, expression of KLF4 and cytoskeleton-related genes (ACTB and KRT8) was not affected. However, we found no difference in the rates of oocyte survival, cleavage, and blastocyst development, and blastocyst hatching between fresh and vitrified oocytes after warming. Our results indicate that although vitrification of camel metaphase II (MII) oocytes adversely affected mitochondrial functions, the effect was transient without compromising the developmental potential of the oocytes after parthenogenetic activation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are highly thankful to Mr. Hamad Buti Mohammed, the General Director of CARTC, for their moral and unconditional support. Authors thank Embryology lab staff, for assistance in this study, and administrative office, for arrangements. The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University through research group RG-1438-018 for partial funding of this work.

Funding

This study was kindly sponsored by Zaabeel Office for H. H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. This study was partially funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University through research group RG-1438-018.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Production, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Islam M. Saadeldin & Ayman Abdel-Aziz Swelum

  2. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Islam M. Saadeldin

  3. Department of Embryology, Camel Advanced Reproductive Technologies Centre, Government of Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Fariba Moulavi, Sokhangouy Saiede Khorshid, Hossini-Fahraji Hamid & Sayyed Morteza Hosseini

  4. Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Ayman Abdel-Aziz Swelum

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  1. Islam M. Saadeldin
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Contributions

Conceptualization, I.M.S., M.F., and S.M.H.; methodology, M.F., I.M.S., A.A.S., and S.M.H.; investigation, M.F., I.M.S., and S.M.H; data curation, M.F., I.M.S., A.A.S., K.S.S., H.F.H., and S.M.H.; writing—review and editing, I.M.S. and S.M.H.; supervision, I.M.S. and S.M.H.; project administration, I.M.S., S.M.H.; funding acquisition, I.M.S. and S.M.H.. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Islam M. Saadeldin or Sayyed Morteza Hosseini.

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Highlights

• The effects of vitrification on camel MII oocytes have been studied.

• Vitrification adversely affected mitochondrial protein and mRNA transcripts expression.

• The adverse effect was transient and did not affect the developmental potential of oocytes after ICSI and parthenogenetic activation.

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Saadeldin, I.M., Moulavi, F., Swelum, A.AA. et al. Vitrification of camel oocytes transiently impacts mitochondrial functions without affecting the developmental potential after intracytoplasmic sperm injection and parthenogenetic activation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 44604–44613 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11070-x

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