Putrescine supplementation during in vitro maturation of aged mouse oocytes improves the quality of blastocysts.
Mouse ovaries exhibit a peri-ovulatory rise of ornithine decarboxylase and its product putrescine concurrent with oocyte maturation. Older mice exhibit a deficiency of both the enzyme and putrescine. Peri-ovulatory putrescine supplementation in drinking water increases ovarian putrescine levels, reduces embryo resorption and increases live pups in older mice. However, it is unknown if putrescine acts in the ovaries to improve oocyte maturation. This study examined the impact of putrescine supplementation during oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) on the developmental potential of aged oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes from 9-12-month-old C57BL/6 mice were subjected to IVM with or without 0.5mM putrescine, followed by in vitro fertilisation and culture to the blastocyst stage. Putrescine supplementation during IVM did not influence the proportion of oocyte maturation, fertilisation or blastocyst formation, but significantly increased blastocyst cell numbers (44.5±1.9, compared with 36.5±1.9 for control; P=0.003). The putrescine group also had a significantly higher proportion of blastocysts with top-grade morphology (42.9%, compared with 26.1% for control; P=0.041) and a greater proportion with octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4)-positive inner cell mass (38.3%, compared with 19.8% for control; P=0.005). Therefore, putrescine supplementation during IVM improves egg quality of aged mice, providing proof of principle for possible application in human IVM procedures for older infertile women.
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital -- General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Box 511, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
Dandan
D
Liu
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital -- General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Box 511, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
Guolong
G
Mo
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital -- General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Box 511, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
Yong
Y
Tao
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Hongmei
H
Wang
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa Hospital -- General Campus, 501 Smyth Road, Box 511, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
X Johné
XJ
Liu
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D003470:Culture Media; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D059471:In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D007247:Infertility, Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D023421:Models, Animal; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011700:Putrescine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D003470:Culture Media; D011700:Putrescine