Reduced glutathione alleviates tunicamycin-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in mouse preimplantation embryos.

ABSTRACT: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, a dysfunction in protein-folding capacity, is involved in many pathological and physiological responses, including embryonic development. This study aims to determine the developmental competence, apoptosis, and stress-induced gene expression in mouse preimplantation embryos grown in an in vitro culture medium supplemented with different concentrations of the ER stress inducer tunicamycin (TM) and the antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Treatment of zygotes with 0.5 µg/ml TM significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the rate of blastocyst formation, whereas 1 mM GSH supplementation improved the developmental rate of blastocysts. Furthermore, TM treatment significantly increased (P < 0.05) the apoptotic index and reduced the total number of cells, whereas GSH signific

SUBMITTER: Ali I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5830354 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature