Effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on oocyte in vitro maturation in mice with polycystic ovary syndrome

n-3 PUFAs are classic antioxidant that can be used to treat follicular dysplasia and hyperinsulinemia caused by excessive oxidative stress in PCOS women. To investigate the effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on the oocyte quality of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) mice during in vitro maturation, a PCOS mouse model was established by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The GV oocytes of the control and PCOS groups were collected and cultured in vitro with or without n-3 PUFAs. After 14 h, the oocytes were collected. Our data demonstrated that the oocyte maturation rate of PCOS mice significantly increased after the addition of 50 µM n-3 PUFAs. The results of immunofluorescence showed that the abnormal rates of spindles and chromosomes in the PCOS + n-3 PUFA group were lower than those in the PCOS group. The mRNA expression of an antioxidant-related gene (Sirt1) and DNA damage repair genes (Brca1/Msh2) was found to be significantly rescued after n-3 treatment. Additionally, the results of living cell staining showed that the addition of n-3 PUFAs could reduce the levels of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide in PCOS oocytes. In conclusion, the addition of 50 µM n-3 PUFAs during the in vitro maturation of PCOS mouse oocytes can improve the maturation rate by reducing the level of oxidative stress and the rate of spindle/chromosome abnormalities, providing valuable support during the IVM process. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13048-023-01162-w.