A method was developed for the determination of trace anions in battery-grade lithium carbonate. In this method, lithium carbonate was dissolved in ultrapure water with ultrasound assistance, and its matrix was removed using an on-line matrix-removal method. In the matrix-removal process, the sample was first passed through an ADRS600(4 mm) suppressor (suppressor current, 150 mA; external water flow rate, 2 mL/min).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, astaxanthin (Ax) has begun to be applied to the field of reproductive biology. Here we used porcine oocyte as a model to explore how Ax improves the oocyte potential during in vitro maturation (IVM), and we also investigated the cytoprotective effects of Ax on the vitrified oocytes. Ax supplementation (final concentration of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMammalian oocytes represent impaired quality after undergoing a process of postovulatory aging, which can be alleviated through various effective ways such as reagent treatment. Accumulating evidences have revealed the beneficial effects of astaxanthin (Ax) as a potential antioxidant on reproductive biology. Here, porcine matured oocytes were used as a model to explore whether Ax supplement can protect against oocyte aging in vitro and the underlying mechanism, and therefore they were cultured with or without 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the immature oocytes are submitted to cryopreservation, their surrounding cumulus cells (CCs) will inevitably suffer, which may have some adverse effects on subsequent oocyte maturation and development. So far, little is known about the molecular differences in CCs of immature oocytes after vitrification. The aim of this study therefore was to analyze the protein profile of CCs derived from vitrified porcine immature oocytes following in vitro maturation, using TMT-based quantitative proteomic approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is essential to enhance the in vitro maturation (IVM) condition for immature oocytes after cryopreservation, particularly if limited numbers of oocytes collected from specific donors. The objective of this study was to determine if quality of vitrified porcine immature oocytes was enhanced by coculturing with fresh oocytes during IVM. To distinguish fresh versus vitrified oocytes, we used two types of coculture systems: (a) transwell two-chamber coculture; (b) labeling and tracing fresh oocytes with CellTracker™ Green CMFDA during conventional culture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCryopreservation impairs oocyte quality, which may be associated with abnormal gene expression. Currently, alteration of mRNA levels in vitrified porcine oocytes has not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to analyze transcriptome profiles with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in porcine immature oocytes and their surrounding cumulus cells (CCs) after vitrification and in vitro maturation (IVM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe postwarming recovery culture, as one of the steps in cryopreservation process, is directly correlated with the survival and quality of embryos. Generally, recovery medium includes undefined serum or serum components that may cause the instability of results and other problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of knockout serum replacement (KSR) as a substitute for serum during recovery culture on the development and quality of vitrified parthenogenetic porcine blastocysts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the protective effects of monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and sugar alcohols (mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol) on frozen ram spermatozoa were evaluated and compared. The motility, moving velocity, and hypoosmotic swelling capability of spermatozoa frozen with monosaccharide or sugar alcohol were measured using a computer-assisted spermatozoa analyzer system. The acrosome status, membrane integrity, distribution of phosphatidylserine (PS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were analyzed using fluorescence staining and flow cytometry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to assess effects of vitrification on ovine oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, the conventional plastic straw (CS), the open-pulled straw (OPS), and Cryoloop were used to vitrify ovine oocytes. Oocytes were randomly divided into five groups: (1) Control; (2) Oocytes exposed to vitrification and dilution solutions without any cryopreservation (toxicity); (3) Oocytes vitrified using CS (CS); (4) Oocytes vitrified using OPS (OPS), and (5) Oocytes vitrified using Cryoloop (Cryoloop). The viability, cumulus cell expansion, nuclear maturation after in vitro maturation (IVM), and developmental capability of vitrified oocytes following parthenogenetic activation (PA) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) were assessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGonadotropins and epidermal growth factor (EGF) play crucial roles in promoting oocyte maturation. The regulatory network downstream of these key factors is not well understood. The present study was designed to investigate the role of the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) in porcine oocyte in vitro maturation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of early developmental stages at which Cryotop vitrification is performed on subsequent survival and in vitro development of porcine parthenogenetic activation embryos. The zygotes that were cultured for 4, 8, and 18 hours post electric activation (h.p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCytometric sorting of frozen-thawed sperm can overcome difficulties caused by the unavailability of sorting facilities on farms where semen is collected from male livestock. In order to optimize the cytometric sex-sorting procedure, effects of Hoechst33342 staining on the viability and cytometric sorting efficiency of frozen-thawed ram sperm were evaluated. The frozen-thawed sperm were stained with Hoechst33342 at various dye concentrations (80 μM, 120 μM, 160 μM, 200 μM, 240 μM, or 320 μM) for 45 min to evaluate effects of dye dose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study was conducted to investigate the expression of Histone Deacetyltransferase1 (HDAC1) in mouse embryos derived from the vitrified-warmed oocytes. Firstly, the mouse oocytes at metaphaseII (MII) stage were randomly allocated into three groups: A untreated (control), B exposed to vitrification solution (VS) without being plunged into liquid nitrogen (toxicity), or C vitrified by open-pulled straw (OPS) method (vitrification). After warming, they were fertilized in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to examine its effect on oocyte lipid content and cryosurvival, Forskolin was added to the medium for in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes. Treatments were control (IVM without Forskolin during the 42 h incubation period), addition of 10 μM Forskolin for the entire 42 h (0-42) and addition of 10 μM Forskolin between 24 and 42 h only (24-42). In Experiment 1, treatments did not differ significantly in cleavage rate, but the blastocyst formation rate was lower in the 0-42 group than for control and 24-42 group oocytes (17, 32 and 40%, respectively; P < 0.
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