Effect of ferulic acid supplementation on the developmental competence of porcine embryos during in vitro maturation

The value of laboratory and genetically-modified pigs is becoming increasingly clear; however, their in vitro development remains inefficient. Trans-ferulic acid (trans-FA) is an aromatic compound that is abundant in plant cell walls, and which exhibits antioxidant effects in vitro. Trans-FA is known to improve sperm viability and motility; however, its effects on porcine oocytes are unknown. Our aim was to investigate the effects of trans-FA supplementation during in vitro maturation on the meiotic and developmental competence of porcine oocytes. Oocytes were matured either without (control) or with trans-FA (10, 100 and 1,000 µM), fertilized, and cultured in vitro for 7 days. The maturation rate of oocytes cultured with 10 µM trans-FA (81.6%) was significantly higher than that of controls (65.0%; P<0.05). The fertilization rate of oocytes matured with 10 µM trans-FA (57.4%) was also significantly higher than that of controls (32.7%) and oocytes cultured with other concentrations (33.1% and 22.7% for 100 and 1,000 µM, respectively; P<0.05). Moreover, the blastocyst formation rate of oocytes matured with 10 µM trans-FA (6.9%) was significantly higher than that of controls (2.3%; P<0.05). Our results suggest that in vitro maturation with 10 µM trans-FA is beneficial for the in vitro production of porcine embryos and has the potential to improve production system.