Exposure to phenanthrene affects oocyte meiosis by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress

Abstract

Objectives: Phenanthrene (PHE) is one of the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which is a widespread environmental contaminant. Various studies showed that PHE has adverse impacts on animals and human health. It has been shown that PHE exposure induced follicular atresia and endocrine dyscrasia in female mice. However, the potential mechanism regarding how PHE affects female reproductive system especially the oocyte quality has not been elucidated. Methods and Results:In this study, we set up PHE exposure model and found that PHE exposure compromised oocytes maturation competence by inhibiting spindle assembly and chromosomes alignment. Moreover, PHE exposure induced mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aberrant calcium levels in cytoplasm, eventually induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in oocytes. Furthermore, we found that oral administration of PHE caused the occurrence of oxidative stress and apoptosis in female ovary. In addition, the oocyte exhibited aberrant spindle morphology and failure of actin cap formation in metaphase II oocytes. Conclusions:Taken together, our study demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage are the major cause of poor oocyte quality after PHE exposure.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress related IncRNA signature predicts the prognosis and immune response evaluation of uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma

“…GSEA showed that cell cycle, fc gamma r mediated phagocytosis, Nod like receptor signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, oocyte meiosis, progesterone mediated oocyte maturation, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, Notch signaling pathway, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, erbb signaling pathway were mainly enriched in the high-risk group. PHE exposure induced mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress, which results in the cytoplasm reactive oxygen species and abnormal calcium levels, final oocyte induced oxidative stress and DNA damage ( 29 ). Genes related to ER stress are associated with multiple immune pathways.…”

Supplementation with Eupatilin during In Vitro Maturation Improves Porcine Oocyte Developmental Competence by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

“…Previous studies have shown that oocytes are vulnerable to oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). When oxidative stress is unbalanced, cells undergo apoptosis [3], mitochondrial dysfunction [4], and DNA damage [5], which hinder cell maturation. Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in cells leads to calcium homeostasis imbalance and cell apoptosis, affecting cell maturation [6].…”