title: L-carnitine decreases DNA damage and improves the in vitro blastocyst development rate in mouse embryos.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To optimize the L-carnitine (LC) concentration as a supplement in embryo culture medium and to investigate the effect of LC on developing embryos.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reproductive research center at a tertiary hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  To optimize the LC concentration, 420 mouse embryos were divided into seven groups and incubated with different LC concentrations (0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.5, 5.0, and 10 mg/mL). To investigate the effect of LC on the developing embryos, 500 mouse embryos were divided into three groups and incubated with either actinomycin-D (AD; 0.005 microg/mL), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2); 500 micromol/L), or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha; 500 ng) with and without LC 0.3 or 0.6 mg/mL. Blastocyst development rate (%BDR) and DNA damage were examined for all groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Effect of LC on embryogenesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant improvement in %BDR was seen at LC 0.3 mg/mL compared with the control (p = 0.006). L-Carnitine at 0.3 and 0.6 mg/mL significantly reduced the blocking effect of AD, H(2)O(2), and TNF-alpha and significantly decreased the level of DNA damage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Embryo culture medium supplementation with LC may offer a novel and a cost-effective technique to improve the embryogenesis of cultured embryos. This may be beneficial in improving IVF outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Research Center, Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdelrazik
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Reda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahfouz
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003470:Culture Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003609:Dactinomycin; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D002331:Carnitine