Impact of Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes Morphological Grades on In Vitro Maturation and Biochemical Profiles in Dromedary Camels

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

2 Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

3 National Organization for Drug Control and Research, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

The dromedary camel holds significant economic value, but its reproductive limitations pose challenges to fertility. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as in vitro maturation (IVM) and embryo production, offer potential solutions to enhance camel fertility. This study aimed to assess the impact of morphological properties of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) on maturation rates of dromedary camel oocytes and biochemical markers in the spent IVM medium. COCs were classified into good- and poor-quality based on morphological assessment followed by IVM for 30 hours then cumulus expansion, polar body extrusion, and mitochondrial activity were evaluated. Biochemical markers, including antioxidants (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalyze (CAT), glutathione (GSH)), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA), were also measured the spent IVM medium. Results showed significant differences between good- and poor-quality COCs in cumulus expansion (94.8% vs. 52.0%, P < 0.0001), polar body release (47.0% vs. 22.5%, P = 0.0003), and mitochondrial intensity (2.45 vs. 1.51, P < 0.0001). Good-quality COCs had significantly higher SOD, CAT, GSH, and ATP levels, while poor-quality COCs exhibited increased NO and MDA levels in the spent IVM medium where morphologically different grades of COCs were cultured. These findings highlight the critical role of COCs quality in determining the maturation success in dromedary camels.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics