Rutin enhances mitochondrial function and improves the developmental potential of vitrified ovine GV-stage oocyte

Vitrification of oocyte has become an important component of assisted reproductive technology and has important implications for animal reproduction and the preservation of biodiversity. However, vitrification adversely affects mitochondrial function and oocyte developmental potential, mainly because of oxidative damage. Rutin is a highly effective antioxidant, but no information is available to the effect of rutin on the mitochondrial function and development in vitrified oocytes. Therefore, we studied the effects of rutin supplementation of vitrification solution on mitochondrial function and developmental competence of ovine germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes post vitrification. The results showed that supplementation of vitrification solution with 0.6 mM rutin significantly increased the cleavage rate (71.6 % vs. 59.3 %) and blastocyst rate (18.9 % vs. 6.8 %) compared to GV-stage oocytes in the vitrified group. Then, we analyzed the reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial activity and membrane potential (ΔΨm), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca