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Vertebrate reproductive science and technology
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Extracellular vesicles derived from donor oviduct fluid improved birth rates after embryo transfer in mice

Pengxiang Qu A B * , Yuelei Zhao A * , Rong Wang A , Yali Zhang A , Lu Li A , Jianglin Fan C and Enqi Liu A B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Laboratory Animal Centre, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China.

B Research Institute of Atherosclerotic Disease, Xi’an Jiaotong University Cardiovascular Research Centre, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061, China.

C Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan.

D Corresponding author. Email: liuenqi@mail.xjtu.edu.cn

Reproduction, Fertility and Development 31(2) 324-332 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD18203
Submitted: 8 January 2018  Accepted: 7 July 2018   Published: 10 September 2018

Journal compilation © CSIRO 2019 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

Embryo transfer (ET) is an important procedure for assisted reproduction. However, the relatively lower success rate of ET hampers its application potential. In this study we aimed to elucidate the effects of extracellular vesicles derived from donor oviduct fluid (EDOF) on embryo development after ET. Extracellular vesicles from the oviduct were isolated and purified using ultracentrifugation and identified using transmission electron microscopy, NanoSight, bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein assay and western blotting. The results revealed that extracellular vesicles were present in donor oviduct fluid in higher concentrations (P < 0.05) and contained more proteins (P < 0.05) than extracellular vesicles derived from recipient oviduct fluid (EROF). EDOF or EROF were supplemented in an ET medium (ETM) and the results showed that EDOF significantly improved birth rate via resisting apoptosis and promoting differentiation. In conclusion, our study indicated that there are differences in EDOF and EROF and that supplementing EDOF to ETM can improve the efficiency of ET; improved ET efficiency promotes the use of gene editing and benefits assisted reproductive technology and animal welfare.

Additional keywords: ammonium, apoptosis, differentiation, embryo transfer.


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