title: Effect of cortisol on bovine oocyte maturation and embryo development in vitro.
abstract: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are important mediators of key cellular events. Herein, we investigated the effect of adding cortisol to the IVM medium on the acquisition of developmental competency in bovine oocytes. Cortisol (0.01, 0.1, or 1 μg/mL) had no effect on cleavage rates or cell numbers of resulting blastocysts; however, supplementation with 0.1 μg/mL during IVM increased blastocyst rates of in vitro-fertilized bovine oocytes as compared to untreated controls (41 ± 10% vs. 21 ± 1.2%, P < 0.05, respectively). This concentration was chosen to assess changes in the relative expression of potential GC target genes. Oocytes matured in the presence of cortisol and their corresponding cumulus cells did not show changes in expression for genes analyzed as compared to untreated controls. Notably, blastocysts from oocytes matured in cortisol-supplemented medium expressed higher relative levels of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). This study supports a role for cortisol in the acquisition of bovine oocyte competence. This is evidenced by increased blastocyst development rates and presumably related to elevated embryonic transcripts with roles in glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as the cellular response to stress.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil. Electronic address: nathalia@ufpa.br.
authors.forename: Nathalia Nogueira
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karynne Nazaré Lins
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscila di Paula Bessa
authors.initials: Pd
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.affiliation: Federal Institute of Para, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcela da Silva
authors.initials: Mda S
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Velasco Guimarães
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandra Ximenes
authors.initials: AX
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscilla do Carmo
authors.initials: Pdo C
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Simone do Socorro Damasceno
authors.initials: Sdo S
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: William Allan
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Moyses dos Santos
authors.initials: Mdos S
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Animal Reproduction Laboratory, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Otávio Mitio
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Ohashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D003470:Culture Media; D054885:Cumulus Cells / Q000737:chemistry; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D015870:Gene Expression; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1 / Q000235:genetics; D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059471:In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Bovine; Cortisol; Embryo; Gene expression; Oocyte competence