P-36: The Effect of Lipoic Acid on Developmental Competence of Cultured Isolated Mouse Preantral Follicles

Background: α-Lipoic acid (LA) is a cofactor in mitochondrial multienzyme complexes and is well-known for its antioxidant properties in both of in vivo and in vitro condition. Materials and Methods: Preantral follicles were isolated from 2 weeks old NMRI mice ovaries. LA at concentrations of 0 and 100 μM was supplemented to culture media (α-MEM medium supplemented with 5% FBS, 100 mlU/ml FSH, 1% Insulin-Transferrin-Selenium, 10ng/ml rEGF). At 12th day of culturing, ovulation was induced by addition of 1.5 IU/ml human chorionic gonadotropin. Released MII oocytes were transferred to T6 medium containing capacitated spermatozoa, and after insemination, they were cultured for 24 hours. The effect of LA was assessed on follicular growth and developmental competence of oocyte derived from cultured pre-antral follicles. The amount of reactive oxygen species ( ROS) in the cultured preantral follicles was measured by spectrofluorometery and the ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was used for the assessment of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) after 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h ours of culture period Results: The Mean of diameter, antrum formation rates , MII oocytes rates of cultured isolated preantral follicles in the presence of 100 µM LA were significantly higher than control group (p<0.05). Fertilization and developmental rates of inseminated MII oocytes were higher as compared to control group (p<0.05). The ROS levels decreased and TAC level increased significantly in the presence of 100 µM in compare to control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: LA supplementation may improve the in vitro developmental competence of mouse isolated preantral follicles by protecting them from oxidative damage.