Premium
Melatonin improves the effect of cryopreservation on human oocytes by suppressing oxidative stress and maintaining the permeability of the oolemma
Author(s) -
Zhang Zhiguo,
Mu Yaoqin,
Ding Ding,
Zou Weiwei,
Li Xinyuan,
Chen Beili,
Leung Peter CK,
Chang HsunMing,
Zhu Qi,
Wang Kaijuan,
Xue Rufeng,
Xu Yuping,
Zou Huijuan,
Zhou Ping,
Wei Zhaolian,
Cao Yunxia
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of pineal research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1600-079X
pISSN - 0742-3098
DOI - 10.1111/jpi.12707
Subject(s) - cryopreservation , andrology , biology , oxidative stress , in vitro maturation , blastocyst , oocyte , apoptosis , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology , embryogenesis , endocrinology , genetics , medicine
Cryopreservation causes cryoinjury to oocytes and impairs their developmental competence. Melatonin (MLT) can improve the effect of cryopreservation in animal oocytes. However, no such studies on human oocytes have been reported. In this study, collected in vitro‐matured human oocytes were randomly divided into the following groups: fresh group, MLT‐treated cryopreservation (MC) group, and no‐MLT‐treated cryopreservation (NC) group. After vitrification and warming, viable oocytes from these three groups were assessed for their mitochondrial function, ultrastructure, permeability of oolemma, early apoptosis, developmental competence, and cryotolerance‐related gene expression. First, fluorescence staining results revealed that oocytes from the 10 −9 M subgroup showed the lowest intracellular reactive oxygen species and Ca 2+ levels and highest mitochondrial membrane potential among the MC subgroups (10 −11 , 10 −9 , 10 −7 , and 10 −5 M). In subsequent experiments, oocytes from the 10 −9 M‐MC group were observed to maintain the normal ultrastructural features and the permeability of the oolemma. Compared with those of the oocytes in the NC group, the early apoptosis rate significantly decreased ( P < .01), whereas both the high‐quality cleavage embryo and blastocyst rates significantly increased (both P < .05) in the oocytes of the 10 −9 M‐MC group. Finally, single‐cell RNA sequencing and immunofluorescence results revealed that aquaporin ( AQP ) 1 / 2 / 11 gene expression and AQP1 protein expression were upregulated in the MC group. Therefore, these results suggest that MLT can improve the effect of cryopreservation on human oocytes by suppressing oxidative stress and maintaining the permeability of the oolemma.