Publications by authors named "Kokoro Kawasaki"

Article Synopsis
  • ER stress negatively impacts oocyte maturation and embryo development
  • , particularly during in vitro growth (IVG), prompting researchers to investigate ways to mitigate this issue, specifically through the use of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), an ER stress inhibitor.
  • The study involved growing oocyte-granulosa cell complexes in varying concentrations of TUDCA
  • , finding that a concentration of 100 μM led to better antrum formation and significantly downregulated key ER stress-associated genes, indicating a reduction in ER stress.
  • Though TUDCA improved maturation rates and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  • in oocytes, there was no noticeable difference in the developmental competence of embryos after fertilization
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The present study investigated the effects of ellagic acid, a type of polyphenol that does not have a glycan and is composed of four hydroxyl groups and two lactone functional groups, on porcine in vitro fertilization (IVF) by focusing on its anti-hyaluronidase activity. A comparative analysis of ellagic acid and apigenin, which is commonly used as a hyaluronidase inhibitor, was performed. It compared the effects of ellagic acid and apigenin on hyaluronidase activity at different concentrations.

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Sperm cryopreservation often leads to physical cell damage through ice crystal formation. This study evaluates the improvements to freezing extender cryoprotective activity due to antifreeze protein (AFP) addition, which primarily acts on ice crystal formation, through investigating the post-thaw sperm properties of Okinawan native Agu pig. Six individual boar sperm samples were diluted with the freezing extender supplemented with 1 μg/mL of AFP I or AFP III and then subjected to cryopreservation.

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