In vitro maturation of bovine oocytes may using royal jelly as protein source in the culture media

Abstract

The present study investigated the effect of using royal jelly (RJ) as protein source for the culture media that would be used in the nuclear maturation degree of bovine oocytes. Bovine ovaries were collected from local slaughterhouse and then the cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from visible antral follicles (2 to 8 mm) by aspiration method. COCs were randomly incubated in tissue culture media–199 (TCM-199) with 10% royal jelly (10RJ, n=179) and 10 % fotal calf serum (0RJ, n=172 oocytes) for 22h at 39 ºC under 5% CO2 in humidified air at 95%. The maturation rate in 10RJ madia (78%) was similar when compared with 0RJ media (77%). Methaphase-II stage oocytes the 10RJ media did not affect the expansion rates of cumulus cells when compared to 0RJ media. Similarly, the ratios in first polar bodies and the maturated oocytes cleaved to 2- cell  48 h post activation and were not affected by the use of 10RJ in the culture media. Therefore, these results suggest that 10RJ can be used as a protein source in the IVM of bovine oocytes.