Melatonin Protects Mitochondrial Function and Inhibits Oxidative Damage against the Decline of Human Oocytes Development Caused by Prolonged Cryopreservation
Qi Zhu,
Ding Ding,
Han Yang,
Weiwei Zou,
Dandan Yang,
Kaijuan Wang,
Chao Zhang,
Beili Chen,
Dongmei Ji,
Yan Hao,
Rufeng Xue,
Yuping Xu,
Qiushuang Wang,
Jing Wang,
Bo Yan,
Yunxia Cao,
Huijuan Zou,
Zhiguo Zhang
Affiliations
Qi Zhu
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Ding Ding
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Han Yang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Weiwei Zou
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Dandan Yang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Kaijuan Wang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Chao Zhang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Beili Chen
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Dongmei Ji
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Yan Hao
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Rufeng Xue
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Yuping Xu
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Qiushuang Wang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Jing Wang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Bo Yan
The Second Clinical Medical School, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Yunxia Cao
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Huijuan Zou
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
Zhiguo Zhang
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
Melatonin (MT) can improve the effect of cryopreservation on oocytes by suppressing oxidative stress and maintaining the permeability of the oolemma. In this study, MT was firstly applied to human oocytes’ cryopreservation to explore the effect of prolonged cryopreservation on developmental competence and its role. Collected in vitro-matured human oocytes were cryopreserved in MT-containing or MT-free medium for 0 and 6 months; after warming, viable oocytes were assessed for developmental viability, intracellular protein expression, mitochondrial function, and oxidation-antioxidant system. Meanwhile, fresh oocytes were set as the control. The results showed that with the extension of cryopreservation time, the developmental competence of oocytes gradually declined, accompanied by the down-regulation of most mitochondrial function-related proteins, the reduction in ATP and GSH production, the increase in ROS accumulation, and the aggravation of the imbalance of ROS/GSH in oocytes. However, the participation of MT seemed to effectively mitigate these negative effects. Therefore, we speculate that melatonin may maintain normal ATP production and ROS/GSH balance in cryopreserved oocytes by protecting mitochondrial function and inhibiting oxidative damage, thereby effectively maintaining the developmental competence of human oocytes in prolonged cryopreservation.
