Research Paper Volume 9, Issue 4 pp 1186—1201

Figure 4. Effects of supplementation with U0126, ceramide or BDNF during in vitro aging on STAS of mouse oocytes. Cumulus-denuded oocytes (DOs) recovered 13 h post hCG injection were used. For U0126 and BDNF treatment, the DOs were aged for 36 h in CZB medium supplemented with different concentrations of U0126 or BDNF before ethanol and 6-DMAP treatment for activation. For ceramide treatment, DOs were microinjected with 6 pl DMSO alone (control) or DMSO containing 1 mM ceramide and then aged for 36 h in CZB medium before ethanol and 6-DMAP treatment for activation. Each treatment was repeated 4-5 times with each replicate containing about 30 oocytes. a,b: Values with a different letter above bars differ significantly (P < 0.05).