Exposure of in vitro-matured porcine oocytes to SYBR-14 and fluorescence impairs their developmental capacity

Staining with Hoechst 33342 followed by ultraviolet irradiation is frequently used to aid or confirm the enucleation of recipient oocytes in porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer programs. However, the procedure has a clearly deleterious effect on the developmental ability of oocytes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a longer-wavelength fluorochrome (SYBR-14) for visualizing maternal chromosomes in in vitro-matured porcine oocytes and the effects of this dye in combination with fluorescence excitation on the subsequent in vitro fertilization and embryo development of the oocytes. In the first experiment, the oocytes were exposed to different concentrations (1, 3, 5 and 7 μg/mL) of SYBR-14 at different incubation times (5, 10 and 30 min) in a 4 × 3 factorial design. The optimal condition for proper metaphase-II plate and first polar body visualization was a 10-min incubation with 5 μg/mL of SYBR-14. In the second experiment, the degeneration rate of the oocytes 18 h after exposure to SYBR-14 (5 μg/mL for 10 min) and fluorescence excitation for 5 or 30 s was significantly higher (p < 0.002) than that obtained for non-exposed oocytes. The fertilization parameters were not influenced by the treatments. The cleavage and blastocyst rates during culture were lower (p < 0.001) for the oocytes exposed to SYBR-14 and fluorescence than for those in the non-exposed group. These results indicate that the exposure of mature oocytes to SYBR-14 and fluorescence for periods as short as 5 s increased the rate of oocyte degeneration and limited their subsequent developmental competence.