This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between in vitro maturation and plasminogen activators (PAs) activity on porcine cumulus-oocytes complexes (COCs) exposed to oxidative stress. When COCs were cultured in maturation medium with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the proportion of the germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and oocytes maturation were decreased with addition of H2O2, and were significantly (p<0.05) lower in medium with 0.1 mM H2O2 than control group. Also, the rate of degenerated oocytes was increased in as H2O2 concentration increased. When COCs were cultured for 48 h, three plasminogen-dependent lytic bands were observed: tissue-type PA (tPA); urokinase-type PA (uPA); and tPA-PA inhibitor (tPA-PAI). PA activity was quantified using SDS-PAGE and zymography. When H2O2 concentration was increased, tPA and tPA-PAI activities also increased in porcine oocytes cultured for 48 h, but not uPA. In other experiment, embryos were divided into three groups and cultured in (1) control medium, (2) control medium with 1.0 mM H2O2 and (3) control medium with 1.0 mM H2O2 along with catalase in concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/ml, respectively. H2O2 decreased the rate of GVBD and maturation in porcine COCs but catalase revealed protective activity against oxidative stress caused by H2O2. In this experiment, tPA and tPA-PAI activities were higher in media with 1.0 mM H2O2 alone. Increasing concentration of catalase decreased tPA and tPA-PAI activities in porcine oocytes. These results indicate that the exposure of porcine follicular oocytes to ROS inhibits oocytes maturation to metaphase-II stage and increase the oocytes degeneration. Also, we speculated that increased ROS level may trigger tPA and tPA-PAI activities in porcine oocytes matured in vitro.

소 체외성숙시 난포란에 영향을 주는 과립막세포와 난자의 핵성숙을 촉진하는 물질이 확인되지 않은 혈청내의 물질 뿐만 아니라 호르몬이나 생리활성인자 등에 의해 촉진됨이 밝혀졌다. 이에 따라 체외성숙 및 체외발달에 사용되는 배양액의 조성도 복합배양액에서 단순배양액으로 전환을 시도하고 있으며, 체내의 조건에 보다 더 접근하고자 하는 시도들이 수행되고있다. 본 연구는 한우 난포란의 체외성숙율 및 체외수정 후 배발달율을 향상시키기 위하여 TGF-의 첨가가 미치는