Gholami Majid, Davoodian Najmeh, Kadivar Ali, Shams-Esfandabadi Naser, Nazari Hassan
Research Institute of Animal Embryo Technology, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.
Vet Res Commun. 2025 Jun 24;49(4):236. doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10807-8.
Superstimulation of ovaries predisposes the donors to oxidative stress, potentially impacting the outcomes. This study evaluated the effect of melatonin implants on embryo yield and oxidative stress levels in Holstein heifers, who were allocated to two groups: one (14 heifers) received melatonin implants (18 mg/50kg) before the start of superovulation, while the other (10 heifers) did not. Serum samples were collected on days 0, 9, and 16 to measure total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidant status (TOS). Ovarian follicles, corpora lutea, and recovered embryos were recorded at D16. Superovulation and Fertilization responses were not different; Ovulation response increased (80.73 ± 4.94 vs. 57.02 ± 10.61) in the treatment compared to the control. The mean number of CLs and Total recovered embryos were not different; Transferable embryos (3.85 ± 0.91 vs. 1.8 ± 0.37) were higher in treatment compared to the control (p˂0.05). Blastocysts and degenerated embryos were not different. TOS in the treatment group decreased at D7 and D16 compared with D0 (p˂0.05) but increased over time in control (p˂0.05); it was not different between groups at D0 but was lower in treatment than control at D9 and D16 (p˂0.05). TAC didn't change over time; however, it was higher in treated than in control donors at D7 (p˂0.05). OSI was lower in the treatment than control group at D9 and D16. Conclusively, melatonin implants in superovulated heifer donors increased the number of transferable embryos and reduced anovulated follicles, thereby enhancing ovulation and embryo quality. It mitigated oxidative stress by decreasing total oxidant status and boosting total antioxidant capacity.
卵巢过度刺激会使供体易受氧化应激影响，可能影响结果。本研究评估了褪黑素植入物对荷斯坦小母牛胚胎产量和氧化应激水平的影响，这些小母牛被分为两组：一组（14头小母牛）在超排卵开始前接受褪黑素植入物（18毫克/50千克），而另一组（10头小母牛）未接受。在第0、9和16天采集血清样本，以测量总抗氧化能力（TAC）和总氧化状态（TOS）。在第16天记录卵巢卵泡、黄体和回收的胚胎。超排卵和受精反应没有差异；与对照组相比，治疗组的排卵反应增加（80.73±4.94对57.02±10.61）。黄体的平均数量和回收胚胎的总数没有差异；与对照组相比，治疗组可移植胚胎（3.85±0.91对1.8±0.37）更多（p＜0.05）。囊胚和退化胚胎没有差异。与第0天相比，治疗组在第7天和第16天的TOS降低（p＜0.05），但对照组随时间增加（p＜0.05）；两组在第0天没有差异，但在第9天和第16天治疗组低于对照组（ p＜0.05）。TAC随时间没有变化；然而，在第7天治疗组高于对照组（p＜0.05）。在第9天和第16天，治疗组的氧化应激指数低于对照组。总之，在超排卵的小母牛供体中植入褪黑素可增加可移植胚胎的数量并减少未排卵卵泡，从而提高排卵率和胚胎质量。它通过降低总氧化状态和提高总抗氧化能力来减轻氧化应激。
