Use of royal jelly for in vitro production of bovine embryos

• Grant number: 13/04573-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda da Cruz Landim
• Grantee: Raquel de Mattos Cazonato
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Royal jelly has important intrinsic properties as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. Under cell culture conditions, it has antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities, reducing chemical and degenerative changes in cell cultivation, stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation, increasing protein synthesis and cell lines formation. Moreover, it has beneficial effects on oocyte maturation in vitro, viability, and expansion of the cumulus cells, and also in the cryopreservation of embryos with improvement in rates after thawing. The use of fetal calf serum in the production of embryos in vitro as a source of protein supplementation has harmful effects due to the consequent accumulation of lipid droplets in the embryo, causing reduced quality, a number of cells, viability and competency development, increasing apoptosis, reducing cry tolerance and hatching rates after thawing. Thus, the production of embryos in vitro in the absence of serum is desirable, making it necessary to find new supplements for its replacement. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the addition of royal jelly in place of fetal bovine serum as a supplement in culture media of embryos in vitro. (AU)