Supplementing vitellovesicles improved camel oocyte in vitro maturation and developmental competence after...

Extracellular vesicles play critical roles in intercellular communication by transferring proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and metabolites between cells. Vitellovesicles (VVs), nanoscale vesicles derived from chicken egg yolk, represent a natural source of bioactive molecules that may influence cellular metabolism and developmental processes. Previous investigations demonstrated that VVs contain diverse cargos, including regulatory microRNAs and proteins involved in lipid metabolism, antioxidant defense, and cellular signaling. However, the functional significance of VV-associated metabolites in reproductive biology remains largely unexplored. The present study investigated the effects of VVs supplementation during camel oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) and evaluated their influence on developmental competence following parthenogenetic activation. Special attention was given to the metabolic cargo of VVs and its potential role in regulating oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. Camel cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured in IVM medium supplemented with VVs and compared with untreated controls. Following maturation, oocytes were subjected to parthenogenetic activation and cultured in vitro to evaluate cleavage and blastocyst formation rates. Western blotting showed significant reduction in DNA damage and apoptosis-related proteins in cumulus cells, while real-time PCR analysis showed significant increase in the mRNA transcripts related to oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion. The results indicate that VVs supplementation improves oocyte maturation efficiency and enhances developmental competence after activation. Metabolic pathway analysis suggests that VV metabolites contribute to redox regulation, membrane biosynthesis, and nucleotide metabolism. These effects likely act synergistically with previously reported VV proteins and microRNAs to support cytoplasmic maturation and embryogenesis. Collectively, these findings indicate that VVs represent a promising natural supplement for improving camel assisted reproductive technologies.