2007 Volume 69 Issue 6 Pages 627-632
Glutathione (GSH) concentrations of oocytes are considered as an important marker of the cytoplasmic maturation. The present study was designed to compare GSH concentrations of in vivo and in vitro matured canine oocytes. In vivo matured oocytes were collected 72 hr after ovulation by flushing fallopian tubes after laparotomy. Ovaries were collected from bitches with different reproductive stages, and collected oocytes were divided into 2 groups according to the size viz. < 120 μm and > 120 μm in diameter and cultured for 72 hr in Tissue Culture Medium-199 supplemented with 10% FBS, 2.2 mg/ml sodium bicarbonate, 2.0 μg/ml estrogen, 0.5 μg/ml FSH, 0.03 IU/ml hCG, and 1% penicillin-streptomycin solution in the presence or absence of 50 μM β-mercaptoethanol. GSH concentrations were determined by the dithionitrobenzoic acid-glutathione disulfide (DTNB-GSSG) reductase recycling assay. GSH concentrations of immature canine oocytes were 2.9 and 3.8, 3.5 and 6.8, and 3.1 and 6.5 pM/oocyte for < 120 μm and > 120 μm in diameter oocyte groups at anestrous, follicular and luteal stage, respectively (P<0.05). In vivo matured oocytes had significantly higher GSH concentrations compared with in vitro matured oocytes. The GSH content was 19.2 pM/oocyte for in vivo matured oocytes, while 4.1 to 8.1 and 5.7 to 13.2 pM/oocyte for in vitro matured oocytes cultured in the absence or presence of β-mercaptoethanol, respectively (P<0.05). Presence of β-mercaptoethanol increased GSH synthesis in canine oocytes cultured in vitro, and oocytes collected from follicular and luteal stage was superior to anestrus oocytes.
Journal of The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science
