Abstract: Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a commonly used plasticizer with endocrine-disrupting properties. In this study, we used an equine model to investigate DEHP concentrations in ovarian follicular fluid (FF), and to determine the effects of exposure of oocytes to potentially toxic concentrations of DEHP during in vitro maturation (IVM) on embryo development and quality. Embryo development was evaluated using time-lapse monitoring (TLM), a photomicroscopic tool that reveals abnormalities in cleavage kinetics unobservable by conventional morphology assessment. Blastocyst bioenergetic/oxidative status was assessed by confocal analysis. The possibility that verbascoside (VB), a bioactive polyphenol with antioxidant activity, could counteract DEHP-induced oocyte oxidative damage, was investigated. DEHP was detected in FF and in IVM media at concentrations up to 60 nM. Culture of oocytes in the presence of 500 nM DEHP delayed second polar body extrusion, reduced duration of the second cell cycle, and increased the percentage of embryos showing abrupt multiple cleavage, compared with controls. Mitochondrial activity and intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species were reduced in blastocysts from DEHP-exposed oocytes. VB addition during IVM limited DEHP-induced blastocyst damage. In conclusion, DEHP is detectable in equine FF and culture medium, and oocyte exposure to increased concentrations of DEHP during IVM affects preimplantation embryo development. Moreover, TLM, reported for the first time in the horse in this study, is an efficient tool for identifying altered morphokinetic parameters and cleavage abnormalities associated with exposure to toxic compounds.
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Cite This Article
APA
Marzano G, Mastrorocco A, Zianni R, Mangiacotti M, Chiaravalle AE, Lacalandra GM, Minervini F, Cardinali A, Macciocca M, Vicenti R, Fabbri R, Hinrichs K, Dell'Aquila ME, Martino NA.
(2019).
Altered morphokinetics in equine embryos from oocytes exposed to DEHP during IVM.
Mol Reprod Dev, 86(10), 1388-1404.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23156
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
Mastrorocco, Antonella
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
Zianni, Rosalia
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Foggia, Italy.
Mangiacotti, Michele
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Foggia, Italy.
Chiaravalle, Antonio E
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Foggia, Italy.
Lacalandra, Giovanni M
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Minervini, Fiorenza
Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Bari, Italy.
Cardinali, Angela
Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Bari, Italy.
Macciocca, Maria
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Gynecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproductive Unit, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna,, Bologna, Italy.
Vicenti, Rossella
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Gynecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproductive Unit, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna,, Bologna, Italy.
Fabbri, Raffaella
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Gynecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproductive Unit, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna,, Bologna, Italy.
Hinrichs, Katrin
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
Dell'Aquila, Maria E
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
Martino, Nicola A
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata, Foggia, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy.
MeSH Terms
Animals
Blastocyst / drug effects
Diethylhexyl Phthalate / toxicity
Embryo, Mammalian / cytology
Embryo, Mammalian / drug effects
Embryo, Mammalian / pathology
Embryo, Mammalian / physiopathology
Female
Horses
In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques
Male
Oocytes / drug effects
Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.
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Roth Z, Komsky-Elbaz A, Kalo D. Effect of environmental contamination on female and male gametes - A lesson from bovines. Anim Reprod 2020 Aug 5;17(3):e20200041.
Jin M, Chuan J, Shen Y, Fu P. [Effects of Shoutai pills on immune function and oxidative stress in pregnant rats with di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure]. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao 2020 Jun 30;40(6):850-855.
Mastrorocco A, Temerario L, Vurchio V, Cotecchia S, Martino NA, Dell'Aquila ME. In Vitro Toxicity of a DEHP and Cadmium Mixture on Sheep Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes. Int J Mol Sci 2024 Dec 24;26(1).
Kalo D, Yaacobi-Artzi S, Manovich S, Michaelov A, Komsky-Elbaz A, Roth Z. Environmental Stress-Induced Alterations in Embryo Developmental Morphokinetics. J Xenobiot 2024 Oct 21;14(4):1613-1637.