Effect of transplantation of bone marrow stromal cell- conditioned medium on ovarian function, morphology and cell death in cyclophosphamide-treated rats

Objective: Although stem cell transplantation has beneficial effects on tissue regeneration, but there are still problems such as high cost and safety issues. Since stem cell therapy is largely dependent on paracrine activity, in this study, utilization of transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells [BMSCs]-secretome instead of the cells, into damaged ovaries was evaluated to overcome the limitations of stem cell transplantation

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, BMSCs were cultured and 25-fold concentrated conditioned medium [CM] from BMSCs was prepared. Female rats were injected intraperitoneally with cyclophosphamide [CTX] for 14 days. Then, BMSCs and CM were individually transplanted into bilateral ovaries, and the ovaries were excised after four weeks of treatment. The follicle count was performed using hematoxylin and eosin [H and E] staining and the apoptotic cells were counted using TUNEL assay. Ovarian function was evaluated by monitoring the ability of ovulation and the levels of serum estradiol [E2] and follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH]

Results: Evaluation of the ovarian function and structure showed that results of secretome transplantation were almost similar to those of BMSCs transplantation and there was no significant differences between them

Conclusion: BMSCs-secretome is likely responsible for the therapeutic paracrine effect of BMSCs. Stem cell- secretome is expected to overcome the limitations of stem cell transplantation and become the basis of a novel therapy for ovarian damage

Effect of quercetin on the number of blastomeres, zona pellucida thickness, and hatching rate of mouse embryos exposed to actinomycin D: an experimental study

Background: Quercetin is a flavonoid with the ability to improve the growth of embryos in vitro, and actinomycin D is an inducer of apoptosis in embryonic cells

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of quercetin on the number of viable and apoptotic cells, the zona pellucida [ZP] thickness and the hatching rate of preimplantation embryos exposed to actinomycin D in mice

Materials and Methods: Two-cell embryos were randomly divided into four groups [Control, Quercetin, actinomycin D, and Quercetin + actinomycin D group]. Blastocysts percentage, hatched blastocysts, and ZP thickness of blastocysts was measured. The number of blastomeres was counted by Hoechst and propidium iodide staining and the apoptotic cells number was counted by TUNEL assay

Results: The results showed that the use of quercetin significantly improved the growth of embryos compared to the control group [p=0.037]. Moreover, quercetin reduced the destructive effects of actinomycin D on the growth of embryos significantly [p=0.026]

Conclusion: quercetin may protect the embryos against actinomycin D so that increases the number of viable cells and decreases the number of apoptotic cells, which can help the expansion of the blastocysts, thinning of the ZP thickness and increasing the hatching rate in mouse embryos

Effect of L-carnitine on in vitro developmental rate, the zona pellucida and hatching of blastocysts and their cell numbers in mouse embryos

Objective: The goal was to evaluate the effect of LC on some indicators of embryo development and blastocyst quality including zona pellucid [ZP] thickness, the hatching of blastocysts and their cell numbers

Materials and Methods: Mouse embryos were randomly divided into five groups and incubated with different concentrations of LC [I; 0, II; 0.5, III; 1, IV; 2 and V; 4 mg/ml] from 2-cell to hatched blastocyst

The percentage of blastocysts and hatched blastocysts was calculated. Blastocysts ZP thickness was measured and the number of blastocyst cells was counted using Hoechst and propidium iodide [PI] staining

Results: The results showed concentration of 0.5 mg/ml of LC had an antioxidant effect as in this group, the percentage of blastocysts and hatched blactocysts [p=0.01], the ZP thickness [p=0.00] and the number of blastocyst inner cell mass were significantly more favorable than the control group [p=0.03]; and concentration of 4 mg/ml of LC had a toxic effect on embryo development and blastocyst quality [p=0.00]

Conclusion: The results suggest that LC may increase the number of blastocyst cells, which probably helps to expand the blastocyst and thinning of the ZP thickness and, therefore, creating a successful hatching for implantation