Schisanhenol improves early porcine embryo development by regulating the phosphorylation level of MAPK.

Schisanhenol (SAL), a biphenyl cyclooctene-type lignin compound which can be extracted and isolated from many plants of the Schisandra family, exhibits a variety of biological activities including anti chronic cough, night sweating, thirst, diabetes, and obesity. However, its effects on the female reproductive system are unclear. Previous studies showed that SAL had potential antioxidant activity in heart, liver, and brain. Therefore, we hypothesized that SAL could improve porcine early development by reducing oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of SAL on preimplantation porcine embryos and the potential mechanisms. In this study, we analyzed the effects of SAL on embryo quality, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial function, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and the activation of MAPK pathway. The results showed that 10 μM SAL significantly increased the blastocyst formation rate, proliferation ability, and mitochondrial activity while reducing ROS accumulation and apoptosis level. During this process, the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, JNK1/2/3, and p38 were decreased. In summary, 10 μM SAL improves porcine preimplantation embryo development by reducing ROS accumulation.