title: Exposure to cadmium during in vitro maturation at environmental nanomolar levels impairs oocyte fertilization through oxidative damage: A large animal model study.
abstract: Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal with negative effects on oocyte fertilization. The aim of this study was to analyse whether cadmium-induced impairment of fertilization is caused by mitochondria dysfunction and oxidative stress in the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC). Preliminarily, 19 trace element levels were measured in ovaries from juvenile and adult ewes and age-related cadmium ovarian bioaccumulation at nanomolar concentrations was found. COCs from juvenile and adult ewes, exposed during in vitro maturation to 1nM or 100nM CdCl2, and subjected to in vitro fertilization showed significantly lower fertilization rates in exposed COCs compared with controls. In vitro matured exposed and control COCs underwent confocal microscopy analysis of mitochondria activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and lipid peroxidation (LPO) assay at cumulus cell and oocyte level. In both age groups, cadmium at nanomolar concentrations induced cumulus-oocyte mitochondria over-activity and oxidative damage which were related to impaired oocyte fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Via Manfredonia 20, 71121 Foggia, Italy; Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: nicmartino@libero.it.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: ros.marzano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marzano
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Via Manfredonia 20, 71121 Foggia, Italy. Electronic address: michele.mangiacotti@izspb.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangiacotti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Via Manfredonia 20, 71121 Foggia, Italy. Electronic address: oto.miedico@izspb.it.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Miedico
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, P.zza G. Cesare, 11 70124 Bari, Italy; Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: annamaria.sardanelli@uniba.it.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sardanelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sense Organs, University of Bari Aldo Moro, P.zza G. Cesare, 11 70124 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: antonio.gnoni@uniba.it.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gnoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: giovannimichele.lacalandra@uniba.it.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lacalandra
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Via Manfredonia 20, 71121 Foggia, Italy. Electronic address: eugenio.chiaravalle@izspb.it.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Chiaravalle
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: elena.ciani@uniba.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciani
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynaecology Section, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Via Vienna, n°2 07100 Sassari, Italy. Electronic address: luis@uniss.it.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bogliolo
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari (ISPA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via G. Amendola 122/O, 70125 Bari (BA), Italy. Electronic address: fiorenza.minervini@ispa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Minervini
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria (IBBA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Sede di Lodi-Via A. Einstein, 26500 Lodi, Italy. Electronic address: pizzi@ibba.cnr.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Str. Prov. Casamassima Km 3, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: mariaelena.dellaquila@uniba.it.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dell'Aquila
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000187:drug effects*; D059471:In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Cadmium ovarian bioaccumulation; Confocal laser scanning microscopy; IVM/IVF; Intracellular ROS levels; Lipid peroxidation; Mitochondria activity; Ovine oocyte; Trace elements