Sucrose assists selection of high-quality oocytes in pigs

We investigated whether high quality in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes can be distinguished from poor ones based on the morphological changes after treatment with hyperosmotic medium containing 0.2 M sucrose in pigs. We hypothesize that IVM oocytes maintaining round shape have higher quality than mis-shapened oocytes following dehydration. Oocyte quality was verified by determining embryonic developmental competence using in vitro fertilization, nuclear transfer and parthenogenetic activation. In all cases, the “round” oocytes had greater (P < 0.05) developmental competence than that of mis-shapened oocytes in terms of blastocyst rate and total cell number in blastocysts obtained after 6 d of in vitro culture. We also confirm that round aged oocytes are higher quality than mis-shapened aged oocytes. In an attempt to find out why high-quality oocytes maintain a round shape whereas poorer oocytes become mis-shapened following sucrose treatment, we examined the arrangement of actin microfilaments and microtubules. Abnormal organization of these cytoskeletal components was higher (P < 0.05) in mis-shapened oocytes compared to round oocytes after 52 h of IVM. In conclusion, sucrose treatment helps selection of high quality oocytes, including aged oocytes, in pigs. Abnormal cytoskeleton arrangements partly explain for low developmental competence of mis-shapened oocytes.