The objective of this research was to clarify the aging-related changes in in vitro-matured bovine oocytes. Firstly, we examined the fertilization and embryonic development of bovine oocytes after 22 and 30–34 h of in vitro maturation (IVM). The oocytes after 30–34 h of IVM (penetrated by sperm at around 40 h after starting IVM) showed a lower developmental rate to blastocysts (P<0.01), although normal fertilization rates were similar regardless of IVM duration. In the next experiment, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial activity and ATP content in oocytes after 20, 30 and 40 h of IVM were examined. The lowest level of ROS was found in the group subjected to 30 h of IVM. The mitochondrial activity and ATP content in the group subjected to 40 h of IVM were higher than in the group subjected to 20 h of IVM (P<0.01), and those in the group subjected to 30 h of IVM showed intermediate values. Thereafter, the mitochondrial activities at 3 days after in vitro fertilization in embryos derived from the oocytes subjected to 22 and 34 h of IVM were evaluated. In the group subjected to 34 h of IVM, high-polarized mitochondria were frequently observed at the periphery of blastomeres. The present results suggest that high mitochondrial activity observed in oocytes after prolonged IVM culture and localization of high-polarized mitochondria at the periphery of blastomeres during early embryonic development may be associated with the low developmental competence in aged bovine oocytes.

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The present study aimed to establish an efficient system for bovine embryo production by in vitro fertilization (IVF) that can achieve stable normal fertilization and blastocyst developmental rates in any bull without optimization of the sperm concentration in IVF medium. We examined the effects of a PHE mixture (20 μM D-penicillamine, 10 μM hypotaurine and 1 μM epinephrine), theophylline (2.5 mM), and sperm concentration (1, 2 or 5 × 106 cells/ml) on fertilization and blastocyst developmental rates. High cleavage rates (78.3 to 92.4%) and blastocyst developmental rates (31.9 to 62.0%) at day 7 were obtained in the presence of PHE and theophylline in IVF medium with a sperm concentration of 2 × 106 cells/ml using sperm from 9 bulls. In addition, the synergistic effect of PHE and theophylline on normal fertilization (2 pronuclei) was clarified at 12 h after IVF with a sperm concentration of 1 × 106 cells/ml. Moreover, high linearity, high flagellar beat cross frequency, and low amplitude of lateral head of motile sperm were found by computer-assisted sperm analysis. In conclusion, the combination of the PHE mixture and theophylline synergistically accelerates sperm motility and sperm penetration of bovine oocytes. Theophylline activates sperm motility with increasing intracellular cAMP. However, PHE prevents an excessive increase of cAMP and maintains sperm motility without hyperactivation. When the combination of PHE and theophylline is added to IVF medium at a sperm concentration of 2 × 106 cells/ml, we can achieve stable normal fertilization and blastocyst development in any bull.

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