2. Academic Validation
  3. L-carnitine and vitamin C improve the quality of sheep oocytes after in vitro maturation and subsequent pregnancy outcome

L-carnitine and vitamin C improve the quality of sheep oocytes after in vitro maturation and subsequent pregnancy outcome

  • Free Radic Biol Med. 2025 Oct 13:241:829-842. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2025.10.260.
Jia Hao 1,  Lei Cheng 2,  Dayong Chen 3,  Yuan Yue 1,  Chunjuan Qiu 3,  Riga Wu 3,  Lihong Fan 3,  Meirong Bao 3,  Lu Gong 3,  Yitian Guo 3,  Lei An 1,  Jianhui Tian 4,  Guangyin Xi 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding (MOE), College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China.
  • 2 Inner Mongolia Sino Sheep Technology Co.Ltd., Ulanchap, Inner Mongolia, 011800, China; Xilingol Vocational College, Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, 026000, China.
  • 3 Inner Mongolia Sino Sheep Technology Co.Ltd., Ulanchap, Inner Mongolia, 011800, China.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding (MOE), College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address: tianjh@cau.edu.cn.
  • 5 Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding (MOE), College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address: xiguangyin612@163.com.
PMID: 41093150 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2025.10.260
Abstract

The diminished pregnancy rate associated with the suboptimal quality of in vitro produced embryos represents a significant challenge in both human assisted reproductive technology (ART) and livestock in vitro embryo production (IVEP) technology. The quality of oocytes matured in vitro is adversely affected by oxidative stress and metabolic homeostasis imbalances, which ultimately compromise the developmental potential of in vitro embryos. Although various molecules and pathways may be involved in this process, strategies to enhance the pregnancy rates of in vitro embryos by improving the oocyte quality remain underexplored. In the present study, we found that L-carnitine and vitamin C markedly enhanced the maturation competence of oocytes, characterised by an increased embryo developmental rate and a reduction in Apoptosis occurrence in blastocyst. More importantly, the combination of L-carnitine and vitamin C was found to markedly enhance the pregnancy rate following embryos transfer, with a significant increase from 69.91 % to 81.36 %. Mechanistically, L-carnitine and vitamin C alleviated oxidative stress and enhanced lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in oocytes. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that L-carnitine and vitamin C can protect oocytes from in vitro manipulation-induced impaired maturation quality, thereby promoting the subsequent pregnancy rate as Antioxidants and metabolic modulators, providing a potential strategy for improving oocyte quality in IVEP technology and human ART.

Keywords

L-carnitine; Oocyte maturation; Pregnancy rate; Vitamin C.

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