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. 2022 Dec 16;12(24):3560.
doi: 10.3390/ani12243560.

Preimplantation Developmental Competence of Bovine and Porcine Oocytes Activated by Zinc Chelation

Juan P Cabeza  1 , Juan Cámera  1 , Olinda Briski  1   2 , Minerva Yauri Felipe  1   2 , Daniel F Salamone  1   2 , Andrés Gambini  1   3
Affiliations

Preimplantation Developmental Competence of Bovine and Porcine Oocytes Activated by Zinc Chelation

Juan P Cabeza et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

After sperm-oocyte fusion, intracytoplasmic rises of calcium (Ca) induce the release of zinc (Zn) out of the oocyte (Zn sparks). Both phenomena are known to play an essential role in the oocyte activation process. Our work aimed to explore different protocols for activating bovine and porcine oocytes using the novel zinc chelator 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) and to compare developmental rates and quality to bovine IVF and parthenogenetic ionomycin-induced embryos in both species. Different incubation conditions for the zinc chelator were tested, including its combination with ionomycin. Embryo quality was assessed by immunofluorescence of SOX2, SOX17, OCT4, and CDX2 and total cell number at the blastocyst stage. Even though blastocyst development was achieved using a zinc chelator in bovine, bypassing calcium oscillations, developmental rates, and blastocyst quality were compromised compared to embryos generated with sperm-induced or ionomycin calcium rise. On the contrary, zinc chelation is sufficient to trigger oocyte activation in porcine. Additionally, we determined the optimal exposure to PHEN for this species. Zinc chelation and artificial induction of calcium rise combined did not improve developmental competence. Our results contribute to understanding the role of zinc during oocyte activation and preimplantation embryo development across different mammalian species.

Keywords: assisted oocyte activation; calcium oscillation; embryo development; oocyte to embryo transition; zinc chelator.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative immunofluorescent staining of bovine blastocyst stage embryos of the indicated groups. Scale bars indicate 100 μm. IVF, in vitro fertilization; PHEN, 1,10-phenanthroline.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Analysis of cell number and expression of transcription factors of bovine blastocyst from different experimental groups. Blastocysts from three biological replicates were analyzed; 15 to 27 embryos/group; * p < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test. IVF, in vitro fertilization; PHEN, 1,10-phenanthroline.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative immunofluorescent staining of porcine blastocyst stage embryos of the indicated groups. Scale bars indicate 50 μm. PHEN, 1,10-phenanthroline.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Analysis of cell number and expression of transcription factors of porcine blastocyst from different experimental groups. Blastocysts from three biological replicates were analyzed; 6 to 8 embryos/group; p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney test. No statistical differences were found among groups. PHEN, 1,10-phenanthroline.
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