Influence of N-acetyl-L-cysteine against bisphenol a on the maturation of mouse oocytes and embryo development: in vitro study

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is a widely used chemical that has adverse effects on animal development and reproduction. The current research aimed to evaluate the effect of BPA on the in vitro maturation (IVM) and subsequent embryo development of mouse oocytes following in vitro fertilization (IVF). METHODS: IVM was performed in the presence of different concentrations (0, 20, 50, or 100 μg/mL) of BPA. Nuclear maturation, IVF efficiency and embryonic development were determined. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) in the BPA (50 μg/mL) group were evaluated. We explored the ability of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) in the IVM medium to rescue the BPA-induced damage by examining changes in nuclear maturation, IVF rate, blastocyst formation, ROS levels and GSH content. RESULTS: Compared with the control, BPA (50 μg/mL) supplementation during oocyte IVM significantly inhibited nuclear maturation and decreased fertilization and blastocyst formation rates. In addition, BPA exposure increased ROS levels and decreased GSH content in oocytes. The addition of NAC weakened the BPA-induced suppression of nuclear maturation, relieved the BPA-induced downregulation of the fertilization and blastocyst formation rates, and mitigated the increased ROS levels and decreased GSH content. CONCLUSION: BPA affects mouse oocyte maturation and subsequent early embryonic developmental competence following IVF by increasing intracytoplasmic oxidative stress in mature oocytes. NAC can reduce these harmful effects to a certain extent. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40360-019-0323-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.