"Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Improves Quality of Matured Porcine Oocytes and their Subsequent Embryos Development"

Abstract

The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) supplementation at 5 ng/mL in IVP media on the development of porcine embryos were assessed in this study. Addition of VEGFA in the IVM medium increased monospermic (85.1%) and normal fertilization (68.0%) rates compared to those of the control groups (74.7 and 57.7%, respectively, P < 0.05). Both IVM and IVC media supplemented with VEGFA promoted a greater blastocyst rate compared to the control group (46% vs. 31%, P < 0.05). Also, the total cell number per blastocyst increased in the presence of VEGFA in IVC (74.4 ± 10) or both (81.8 ± 8.2), compared to control during IVM or IVC (62 ± 11, P < 0.05). The apoptotic indices were reduced when VEGFA was contained in both IVM and IVC (2.4 ± 0.1%) media compared to the control group (5.5 ± 1.4%). Moreover, VEGFA increased GSH level by 1.4 to 3.4 folds, where it concomitantly decreased ROS by half fold in matured oocytes, 4-celled embryos and blastocysts. Taken together, the positive effects of VEGFA on oocyte maturation and embryonic development may be carried over from IVM to post-IVF development. It not only functions as a growth/paracrine factor, but also helps in maintaining the ROS-GSH homeostasis by acting as an antioxidant during early embryogenesis in porcine species.