Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (3): 1046-1057.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.03.018

• ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND REPRODUCTION • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of N-acetylcysteine

XIAO Shiyu1, LU Chang1, MA Juan1, WANG Chuang1, QI Meiyu3, YAO Yuchang1,2*   

  1. 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China;
    2. Engineering Research Center of the Heilongjiang Province for the Integration and Innovation of Pig Breeds and Production Technology in Northern China, Harbin 150030, China;
    3. Institute of Animal Husbandry, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
  • Received:2022-03-25 Online:2023-03-23 Published:2023-03-21

Abstract: In this study, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was added into the culture medium of porcine oocytes for in vitro maturation to reveal the effects of NAC on the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes from follicles with different sizes and to analyze the regulation of NAC on redox balance. Oocytes from large follicles (4-6 mm), middle follicles (2-4 mm) and small follicles (1-2 mm) in porcine ovary were collected and the three types of porcine oocytes were respectively cultured with 0, 1, 2, 4 mmol·L-1 NAC. The maturation indexes such as cumulus expansion index and the first polar body excretion rate were evaluated, and ROS level, glutathione (GSH) content and expression level of antioxidant genes in oocytes were detected. The results showed that NAC treatment had no significant effect on cumulus expansion index and ROS level of oocytes from large follicles (P>0.05), and had no significant effect on the first polar body excretion rate of oocytes from large and middle follicles (P>0.05), however proper concentration of NAC (2 mmol·L-1) significantly increased the cumulus expansion index and decreased ROS level (P<0.05) of oocytes from middle and small follicles (P<0.05), and significantly increased the first polar body excretion rate of oocytes from small follicles (P<0.05). Meanwhile, NAC treatment had no significant effect on GSH content and expression levels of antioxidant genes SOD, CAT, Prdx2 and Prdx6 of oocytes from large and middle follicles (P>0.05), and proper concentration of NAC (2 mmol·L-1) significantly increased GSH content and up-regulated the expression levels of SOD and CAT of oocytes from small follicles (P<0.05). In conclusion, proper concentration of NAC (2 mmol·L-1) can improve the in vitro maturation effect of oocytes from small follicles by alleviating oxidative stress.

Key words: N-acetylcysteine, follicles with different diameters, porcine oocyte, in vitro maturation, oxidative stress

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