Catalpol, an iridoid glucoside, isolated from the root of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. It possesses a broad range of biological and pharmacological activity including anti-tumor, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant by acting as a free radical scavenger. Therefore, in this study, the effects of catalpol on blastocyst development, expression levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic index were investigated in porcine embryos. After in vitro maturation and fertilization, porcine embryos were cultured for 6 days in porcine zygote medium 3 (PZM-3) supplemented with catalpol (0, 100, 200 and 400 μM, respectively). Blastocyst development not significantly improved in the catalpol treated group when compared with control group. Otherwise, the intracelluar levels of ROS were decreased and the numbers of apoptotic nuclei were reduced in the catalpol (100 μM) treated porcine blastocysts (P<0.05). On the other hand, blastocyst development was significantly improved in the catalpol (100 μM) treated group when compared with the untreated catalpol group under H2O2 (200 μM) induced oxidative stress (P<0.05). Otherwise, the intracellular levels of ROS in catalpol (100 μM) treated group were significantly decreased in the untreated catalpol group under H2O2 (200 μM) induced oxidative stress (P<0.05). Furthermore, the total cell numbers of blastocysts were significantly increased (P<0.05) in the catalpol (100 μM) treated group under H2O2 (200 μM) induced oxidative stress, whereas numbers of apoptoic nuclei were significantly reduced (P<0.05). In conclusion, our results indicate that treatment of catalpol may have important implications for improving developmental competence and preimplantation quality of porcine embryos through its anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic effect

INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
  1. Chemicals
  2. In Vitro Maturation (IVM)
  3. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
  4. In Vitro Culture (IVC) and Chemical Treatment
  5. Measurement of ROS Levels
  6. TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nickendlabeling) Assay
  7. Statistical Analysis
 RESULTS
  1. Effects of Catalpol Treatment on Developmental Competence ofPorcine Embryos
  2. Effects of Catalpol Treatment on Expression Levels of ROS andApoptotic Index in Porcine Blastocysts
  3. Effects of Catalpol on Preimplantation Development of PorcineEmbryos Cultured under Oxidative Stress Condition
  4. Protective Effect of Catalpol on Intracellular Levels of ROS andApoptotic Index in Blastocyst Stage Embryos Cultured under OxidativeStress Condition
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES

• Yong-Hee Lee(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University)
• Jin-Woo Kim(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University)
• Sung-Kyu Chae(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University)
• Jae-Hyun Ahn(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University)
• Geon-Yeop Do(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University)
• Deog-Bon Koo(Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering, Daegu University) Correspondence