Alpha-linolenic acid enhances maturation and developmental competence via regulation of glutathione, cAMP and fatty acid accumulation during in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes

The aim of present study was to investigate regulatory mechanism of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) on nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of porcine oocytes. Basically, immature cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were incubated for 22 h in IVM-I to which hormone was added, and then further incubated for 22 h in IVM-II without hormone. As a result, relative cumulus expansion was increased at 22 h after IVM and it was enhanced by treatment of ALA compared with control group (p < 0.05). During IVM process within 22 h, cAMP level in oocytes was decreased at 6 h (p < 0.05) and it was recovered at 12 h in ALA-treated group, while oocytes in control group recovered cAMP level at 22 h. In cumulus cells, it was reduced in all time point (p < 0.05) and ALA did not affect. Treatment of ALA enhanced metaphase-I (MI) and MII population of oocytes compared with oocytes in control group at 22 and 44 h, respectively (p < 0.05). Intracellular GSH levels in ALA group was increased at 22 and 44 h after IVM (p < 0.05), whereas it was increased in control group at 44 h after IVM (p < 0.05). In particular, the GSH in ALA-treated oocytes during 22 h of IVM was higher than control group at 22 h (p < 0.05). Lipid amount in oocytes from ALA group was higher than control group (p < 0.05). Treatment of ALA did not influence to absorption of glucose from medium. Cleavage and blastocyst formation of ALA-treated oocytes were enhanced compared with control group (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that supplementation of ALA could improve oocyte maturation and development competence through increasing GSH synthesis, lipid storage, and regulation of cAMP accumulation during early 22 h of IVM, and these might be mediated by cumulus expansion.