Paper Title
Improvement Of In Vitro Developmental Competence Of OOCYTES By Short-Term Exposure To Mild Stress Induced By Hydrogen Peroxide During OOCYTE Maturation

Abstract
In this study the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on developmental competence of oocytes were evaluated in ovine model. In vitro maturation was performed in presence of various concentrations (0, 10, 100, or 1000 μM) of H2O2. Levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH), embryonic cleavage, and blastocyst formation following in vitro fertilization (IVF) were determined. When oocytes treated with 10 μM H2O2, a higher GSH level was observed in comparison with the control group, however oocytes exposed to 1000 μM H2O2 indicated the lowest GSH level. A higher rate of blastocyst formation was also observed in 100 μM H2O2 group as compared with the control group. Our results show that H2O2 treatment during IVM had a beneficial effect on embryonic development in vitro. Index Terms— Blastocyst, GSH level, Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Oocyte