Coculture of human oviductal cells maintains mitochondrial function and decreases caspase activity of cleavage-stage mouse embryos

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the mitochondrial function and caspase activity in mouse embryos after human oviductal cell coculture. Design: Experimental laboratory study. Setting: University gynecology unit. Animal(s): MF-1 (female); BALB/c (male) mice. Intervention(s): Mouse embryos were cocultured with human oviductal cells. Main Outcome Measure(s): Mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψ m) and caspase activity. Result(s): Compared to embryos after coculture in Chatot-Ziomek-Bavister (CZB) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/mL of BSA (CZB), Δψm of embryos cultured in CZB was significantly lower at the two-cell (CZB, 2.04 ± 0.412; coculture, 4.34 ± 0.563) and morula (CZB, 6.06 ± 0.548; coculture, 7.12 ± 0.568) stages. Cocultured embryos and in vivo developed embryos had comparable Δψm. Caspase activity was not detected in unfragmented cleavage-stage embryos and morula developed in vivo. In vitro cultured morula possessed caspase activity. The activity was significantly reduced in the cocultured morula. Conclusion(s): Human oviductal cells maintained the mitochondria function in terms of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and decreased the caspase activity to improve the development of mouse embryo. © 2003 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.