The maturation of oocytes is one of the most important steps determining their developmental competence. Due to the low percentage of oocytes of bitches that reach the MII stage, searching for reagents that may stimulate the growth and maturation of oocytes is still present in this species of mammals. The most important media supplements include gonadotropins (LH, FSH, hCG), growth factors (IGF...

Oocytes matured in vitro are useful for assisted human and farm animal reproduction. However, the quality of oocytes is usually lower than that vivo oocytes, possibly due to absence some important signal regulators vitro. In this study, untargeted metabolomics was used detect changes metabolites follicular fluid (FF) during pig oocyte maturation culture medium maturation. Our results showed tot...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by chronic anovulation and hyperandro genism and affects approximately 5-10% of women of reproductive age. In vitro maturation (IVM) of mammalian oocytes has become an efficient method to produce mature oocytes in order to use in assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intra cytoplasmic sperm injection ...

We have previously reported that androstenedione induces abnormalities of follicle development and oocyte maturation in the mouse ovary. In granulosa cells of the ovarian follicle, androstenedione is aromatized to 17β-estradiol (E2). To determine whether the androgen or estrogen acts directly on the follicle to induce the above-mentioned abnormalities, we compared the effects of a non-aromatiza...

Background The hypothesis that the LDA (low-dose-aspirin) could improve ovarian and uterine perfusion induced clinicians to administer it in women undergoing IVF. Unfortunately, no studies have shown significant differences in terms of pregnancy rate among patients treated or untreated with LDA. The absence of proven clinical benefits of LDA supplementation, led us to wonder whether aspirin, ad...

The aim of this review is to summarize the interactions between the oocyte and its surrounding granulosa cells which are involved in the control of oocyte growth or apoptosis as well as those playing a key role in the ability of the oocyte to undergo nuclear (resumption as meiosis to reach the MII stage) or cytoplasmic maturation (ability to fertilize and develop to the blastocyst stage). The r...

Introduction: Oocyte quality and fertility decline with advanced maternal age. During maturation within the ovarian follicle, oocyte relies on associated somatic cells, specifically cumulus granulosa to acquire essential components for developmental capacity. Methods: A nontargeted metabolomics approach was used investigate effects of mare age different cell types dominant, follicular-phase fol...

Pronuclear development was used to measure the effects on ovine oocytes of altering follicular steroidogenesis during maturation in vitro. Follicular steroid secretion was altered using enzyme inhibitors and exogenous steroid supplementation. Abnormalities induced during maturation were measured 24 h after tranfer of oocytes to the oviducts of inseminated hosts. The presence throughout maturati...

BACKGROUND A growing body of evidences suggests that the ovary is a site of inflammatory reactions, and thus, ovarian cells could represent sources and targets of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) system. The purpose of this study was to examine the IL-1 system gene expressions in equine granulosa cells, and to study the IL-1beta content in follicular fluid during the follicle maturation. For this purpo...