title: Coculture of human oviductal cells maintains mitochondrial function and decreases caspase activity of cleavage-stage mouse embryos.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mitochondrial function and caspase activity in mouse embryos after human oviductal cell coculture.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University gynecology unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  MF-1 (female); BALB/c (male) mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mouse embryos were cocultured with human oviductal cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Delta psi(m)) and caspase activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to embryos after coculture in Chatot-Ziomek-Bavister (CZB) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL of BSA (CZB), Delta psi m of embryos cultured in CZB was significantly lower at the two-cell (CZB, 2.04 +/- 0.412; coculture, 4.34 +/- 0.563) and morula (CZB, 6.06 +/- 0.548; coculture, 7.12 +/- 0.568) stages. Cocultured embryos and in vivo developed embryos had comparable Delta psi m. Caspase activity was not detected in unfragmented cleavage-stage embryos and morula developed in vivo. In vitro cultured morula possessed caspase activity. The activity was significantly reduced in the cocultured morula.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human oviductal cells maintained the mitochondria function in terms of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and decreased the caspase activity to improve the development of mouse embryo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Sen
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Samuel Ting-Hon
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Pak-Chung
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: William Shu-Biu
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yeung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000378:metabolism; D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology*; D009028:Morula / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002232:Carbocyanines; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C068624:5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolocarbocyanine; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases