BACKGROUND: The cooling of mammalian oocytes to sub-physiological temperatures is widely known to affect their viability through the induction of various abnormalities at all stages of meiosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was to compare the kinetics of nuclear status and oocyte damage in porcine, bovine and feline ovaries stored at 4 degrees C for 5 days. METHODS: The nuclear status and oocyte quality during storage were evaluated before and after maturation culture. RESULTS: The cold storage of ovaries decreased the proportions of porcine and bovine oocytes that remained at the germinal vesicle stage before maturation culture. The maturation rates of oocytes decreased with increasing storage time, independent of species. None of the porcine oocytes reached metaphase II (MII) after 1 day of storage. In contrast, bovine and feline oocytes from ovaries that were stored for 2 days and 3 days reached MII. DNA fragmentation in porcine oocytes from ovaries stored for 1 day was significantly higher than that in bovine and feline oocytes. CONCLUSION: The maturation competency of oocytes after the cold storage of ovaries could be related to the meiotic resumption of oocytes during storage and the occurrence of DNA fragmentation in oocytes during maturation culture.
BACKGROUND: The cooling of mammalian oocytes to sub-physiological temperatures is widely known to affect their viability through the induction of various abnormalities at all stages of meiosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was to compare the kinetics of nuclear status and oocyte damage in porcine, bovine and feline ovaries stored at 4 degrees C for 5 days. METHODS: The nuclear status and oocyte quality during storage were evaluated before and after maturation culture. RESULTS: The cold storage of ovaries decreased the proportions of porcine and bovine oocytes that remained at the germinal vesicle stage before maturation culture. The maturation rates of oocytes decreased with increasing storage time, independent of species. None of the porcine oocytes reached metaphase II (MII) after 1 day of storage. In contrast, bovine and feline oocytes from ovaries that were stored for 2 days and 3 days reached MII. DNA fragmentation in porcine oocytes from ovaries stored for 1 day was significantly higher than that in bovine and feline oocytes. CONCLUSION: The maturation competency of oocytes after the cold storage of ovaries could be related to the meiotic resumption of oocytes during storage and the occurrence of DNA fragmentation in oocytes during maturation culture.