Bioactive Materials Derived from Menstrual Blood Stem Cells Enhance the Quality of In Vitro Bovine Embryos

The aim of this study was to determine whether the addition of bioactive materials derived from Menstrual Blood Stem Cells (MenSCs) to the oocyte maturation medium may improve the quality of bovine embryos in vitro.

MenSCs were collected from 6 healthy women (between 26 and 36 years old) and after 3 days of culture, their bioactive materials were frozen. The bovine Cumulus-Oocyte-Complexes (COCs) were aspirated from ovarian slaughterhouse and the oocytes with more than three layers of cumulus cells were cultured in vitro in media supplemented with (treatment) and without (control) 10% MenSCs' bioactive materials. After IVM/IVF, the presumptive zygotes were cultured for 8 days.

The blastocyst rate on day 8 in treatment group was higher than control (40.2±1.9 vs. 23±4.2.3, p=0.001). The ratio of Trophectoderm (TE) and Inner Cell Mass (ICM) (ICM/TE) cells was also greater in treatment group compared to control (30.3±2 vs. 14.9±1; p=0.001). The re-expansion of vitrified blastocysts, 24 hours after warming, in treatment group was higher than control (93.3±2.5 vs. 66.2±8.8; p=0.01). The expression of some genes related to pluripotency and implantation (OCT4, CDX2, and IFNT) were increased in treatment group compared to control (p<0/05).

In conclusion, the addition of MenSCs' bioactive materials during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes could improve the quantity and quality of bovine IVP embryos. Also, the expression of some genes associated with pluripotency and implantation in the blastocyst would be increased.