Influence of palmitic acid on the content of Extracellular Vesicles in uterine epithelial cells and its consequences in the in vitro culture of bovine embryos

• Grant number: 23/16444-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Juliano Coelho da Silveira
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique de Oliveira Swartele Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06645-0 - Extracellular vesicles as a platform for diagnostic and manipulation of the in vitro embryo production system: the next generation in animal reproduction, AP.JP2
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/03737-1 - The effects of palmitic acid on the morphology, quality, viability, and epigenetic modifications of bovine preantral ovarian follicles, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

A large proportion of high-production dairy cows exhibit negative energy balance (NEB) in the postpartum period. The mobilization of body reserves during this period aims to meet the energy demands of milk production. This mobilization increases metabolites such as non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). These metabolites are toxic to reproductive cells when in high concentrations and can impact the morphology, function, and epigenetics markers of bovine reproductive cells. Among NEFAs, palmitic acid (PA) appears to have the most negative effect on reproductive cells. Little is known about the cellular communication that occurs in the uterine environment when it is exposed to NEB metabolites in dairy cows. Furthermore, alterations in the uterine environment may have consequences for embryonic development. Cellular communication may occur by extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can carry different components such as micro RNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs. MiRNAs are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by binding to specific sequences in the mRNA. However, the objective of this project are: 1) investigate the EVs content present in the in vitro culture of bovine uterine epithelial cells exposed to high concentrations of PA and; 2) evaluate the effects of exposing embryos to EVs produced by in vitro culture of bovine uterine epithelial cells exposed to high concentrations of PA. The results will contribute to understand how the uterine environment exposed to NEB metabolites can affect embryonic development in dairy cows.