Lipid Enriched Reduced Nutrient Culture Medium Improves Bovine Blastocyst Formation

Overview

Journal Reprod Fertil

Specialty Reproductive Medicine

Date 2023 Nov 16

PMID 37971749

Authors

Rolando Pasquariello

Mingxiang Zhang

Jason R Herrick

Alison Ermisch

John Becker

William B Schoolcraft

Jennifer P Barfield

Ye Yuan

Rebecca L Krisher

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The refinement of embryo culture media is essential in improving embryo viability and in vitro production efficiency. Our previous work demonstrated that the nutrients (carbohydrates, amino acids, and vitamins) in traditional culture media far exceed the need for an embryo and producing developmentally competent embryos in a reduced nutrient environment is feasible. Here, we aim to evaluate the impact of exogenous lipid and L-carnitine supplementation on bovine blastocyst development and refine our RN condition further. Zygotes were cultured in the control medium (100% nutrients) and reduced nutrient media containing 6.25% of the standard nutrient concentrations supplemented with L-carnitine and lipid free or lipid rich BSA. Increased blastocyst development was observed in the reduced nutrient lipid rich medium compared to the other two groups. However, in both reduced nutrient conditions, blastocyst cell numbers were lower than those obtained in the control condition. We then examined the expression level of 18 transcripts correlated with lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, redox balance, and embryo quality, along with mitochondrial DNA copy numbers, ATP productions, and lipid profile. The results indicated lipid metabolism, embryo quality, and redox enzyme related genes were upregulated while glucose related gene was downregulated in embryos derived from reduced nutrient lipid rich condition Finally, we identified that the lipid rich BSA has enriched linoleic, stearic, oleic, palmitic, and alpha-linoleic fatty acids, a lipid profile that may contribute to the increased lipid metabolism and improved blastocyst development of the bovine embryos under the reduced nutrient condition.

Citing Articles

Reduction of nutrients concentration in culture medium has no effect on bovine embryo production, pregnancy and birth rates.

de Oliveira Leme L, Franco M, de Faria O, Caetano A, de Souza J, de Rezende Carvalheira L Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):4839.

PMID: 39924566 PMC: 11808079. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-88864-x.

Bovine embryo production : evolution of culture media and commercial perspectives.

Krisher R, Herrick J Anim Reprod. 2024; 21(3):e20240051.

PMID: 39372256 PMC: 11452098. DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-AR2024-0051.

In vitro culture alters cell lineage composition and cellular metabolism of bovine blastocyst†.

Ming H, Zhang M, Rajput S, Logsdon D, Zhu L, Schoolcraft W Biol Reprod. 2024; 111(1):11-27.

PMID: 38408205 PMC: 11247278. DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioae031.

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