Effect of Liquid Marble 3D Culture System on In Vitro Maturation and Embryo Development of Prepubertal Goat Oocytes

Abstract

The three-dimensional in vitro maturation of oocytes is a promising approach that can be used to improve in vitro embryo production efficiency. There are currently few studies on this and there are no standardized three-dimensional in vitro maturation systems. In this study, we evaluated the potential beneficial effects of liquid marble microbioreactors as three-dimensional culture systems for the in vitro maturation of prepubertal goat oocytes. We found that the liquid marble system did not affect meiotic progression, the density of transzonal projections, nor the reactive oxygen species and glutathione levels of oocytes in comparison to two-dimensional in vitro maturation systems. However, in vitro maturation in the liquid marble system increased mitochondrial activity and modified the distribution of these organelles of matured oocytes. After the parthenogenetic activation of oocytes, embryo development up to the blastocyst stage was not affected by the liquid marble system. The liquid marble microbioreactor should be considered as a potential alternative to two-dimensional systems for the in vitro maturation of prepubertal goat oocytes.