Reducing Oxidative Stress in in Vitro Rat Embryo Culture through Antioxidant Supplementation

Abstract

Oxidative stress is considered one of the major limitations during mammalian embryo culture due to an imbalance between the generation of ROS and the ability of the developing embryo to resist this oxidative stress. This study aimed to determine whether antioxidants supplementation by ascorbic acid and resveratrol enhances the redox state and developmental capability of rat embryos when cultured in laboratory settings in Libya. Rat embryos were collected after superovulation of Wistar Albino rats and cultured using KSOM-R medium. The obtained embryos were randomly assigned into control group (without antioxidants), ascorbic acid (50 µM and 100 µM), and resveratrol (0.25 µM and 0.50 µM). Embryos' development was studied for 96 hours of culture, besides measuring oxidative stress factors such as ROS. Morphological images were taken for selected stages of development. Antioxidants supplementation significantly increased cleavage rate and beyond 2-cell stage and decreased degeneration rate of embryos. The greatest protection from the three concentrations of resveratrol was achieved by 0.50 µM resveratrol, with the highest percentage of blastocyst production and least ROS level. A negative relationship existed between ROS levels and developmental ability for all groups. This study concludes that supplementation with antioxidants, especially resveratrol, helps to reduce oxidative stress and improve embryonic development in the lab environment in Libya, hence optimizing the redox state of culture medium for mammalian embryos’ study.