文摘
Purpose Antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects of melatonin on development of in vitro fertilization (IVF)/vitrified two-cell mouse embryos were evaluated in this study. Methods The IVF two-cell embryos were vitrified by cryotop, and were cultured in KSOM medium in different concentrations of melatonin (10?, 10?, 10?2?M) and without melatonin. The blastocyst cell number, apoptotic cells and glutathione (GSH) level were evaluated by differential, TUNEL and cell tracker blue staining, respectively. The expression of Bax and Bcl-xl genes was evaluated by qPCR. The expression of melatonin receptors (Mtnr1a and Mtnr1b) in mouse 2-cell embryos and blastocysts was evaluated by RT-PCR. Results Melatonin increased the rate of cleavage and blastulation at 10?2?M concentration (p-lt;-.05). The number of trophectoderm and inner cell mass showed a significant increase (p-lt;-.05) in 10??M melatonin. The 10??M and 10?2?M melatonin treatments significantly reduced (p-lt;-.05) the apoptotic index. The significant increase in the expression of Bcl-xl observed at 10??M concentration however, reduced expression of Bax was not statistically significant. The levels of GSH in 10? and 10?2?M groups were significantly improved relative to the control group (p-lt;-.05). The Mtnr1a was expressed in 2-cell embryos and blastocysts in all groups, but the expression of Mntr1b was not detected. Conclusion Melatonin may have a special role against oxidative stress in protection of IVF/vitrified embryos.