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Research Paper|Volume 14, Issue 21|pp 8633—8644

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate protects porcine oocytes against post-ovulatory aging through inhibition of oxidative stress

Dongjie Zhou1, Ming-Hong Sun1, Wen-Jie Jiang1, Xiao-Han Li1, Song-Hee Lee1, Geun Heo1, Ying-Jie Niu2, Sun A. Ock3, Xiang-Shun Cui1
  • 1Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea
  • 2Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
  • 3Animal Biotechnology Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, South Korea
Received: July 8, 2022Accepted: October 27, 2022Published: November 14, 2022
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204368

Copyright: © 2022 Zhou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Increased levels of oxidative stress are major factors that drive the process of post-ovulatory oocyte aging. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which accounts for up to 50% of the catechins, possesses versatile biological functions, including preventing or treating diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. The aim of this study was to explore whether EGCG can delay porcine oocyte aging by preventing oxidative stress. Metaphase II (MII) oocytes were cultured for 48 h with different concentrations of EGCG (0–100 μM) in vitro as a post-ovulatory aging model. An optimal concentration of 5 μM EGCG maintained oocyte morphology and developmental competence during aging. The oocytes were randomly divided into five groups: fresh, 24 h control, 24 h EGCG, 48 h control, and 48 h EGCG. The results suggest that EGCG significantly prevents aging-induced oxidative stress, glutathione (GSH) reduction, apoptosis, and autophagy. Moreover, mitochondria DNA copy number was decreased, and the number of active mitochondria and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels significantly increased by supplementation with EGCG. Thus, EGCG has a preventive role against aging in porcine post-ovulatory oocytes due to its ability to inhibit oxidative stress and promote mitochondrial biogenesis.